Sensorimotor therapy and time to full oral feeding in < 33 weeks infants

Background Previous research has shown that oral stimulation improves feeding skills in preterm infants. However, it remains unclear whether other sensorimotor therapies have similar effect. Objective To investigate the effect of sensorimotor therapy on the time to reach full oral feeding (FOF) in infants < 33 weeks. Methods Retrospective review compared two time periods between 2009 and 2014, before (PRE TX) and after (POST TX) initiation of sensorimotor therapy to infants < 33 weeks. Type and number of sensorimotor therapy, time to FOF and length of stay (LOS) were collected. Statistical analysis used SPSS 22 for descriptive, non-parametric testing, chi-square and multivariate linear regression computation. Results Of 245 records, 137 were excluded due to death, record unavailability/incompleteness or transfer. The remaining 55 in PRE TX and 53 in POST TX infants differed by small for gestational age (SGA) (36.4% vs. 28.3%, p = 0.02); sepsis (81.8% vs. 54.7%, p = 0.002); patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) (5.5% vs. 22.6%, p = 0.01) and bradycardia (47.3% vs. 83%, p < 0.0001). Infants in (POST TX) achieved FOF in 6.3 ± 4.3 days vs. 8.8 ± 6.6 days in (PRE TX) (p = 0.02); their LOS was 56.8 ± 26.4 vs. 52.2 ± 25.1 (p = 0.36). Predictors of days to FOF were any number of therapy sessions (β = − 4.31; 95% CI: − 6.47:− 2.15), LOS (β = 0.05; 95% CI: 0.004:0.09), PDA (β = 3.23; 95% CI: 0.27:6.19) and bradycardia (β = 2.94; 95% CI: 0.62:5.26). Conclusion Providing any type of sensorimotor therapy decreased time to reach FOF in infants < 33 weeks. Structured guidelines may help optimize this effect.