Clinical Effect of Oral Motor Training Combined with Pediatric Tui-na on Feeding Intolerance in Preterm Infants

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the intervention effect of oral motor training combined with pediatric tui-na on feeding intolerance in preterm infants to provide new treatment options and improve the quality of care. Methods: By using a non-simultaneous controlled clinical trial method, 75 eligible preterm infants from the neonatal unit of a tertiary care hospital in Jinan were selected as the experimental group to implement oral training combined with pediatric massage therapy. Another 60 preterm infants admitted in 2020 were selected as the control group, who had already received oral motor training but had not received pediatric massage. The experimental group was treated for 7 d and the efficacy of the two groups was compared. Comparisons between the two groups included signs of feeding intolerance such as vomiting, gastric remnants and other outcome indicators such as first oral feeding time, gastric tube retention time, increased milk volume at day 3 and increased milk volume at day 7, feeding initiation time, increased weight at day 3 and increased weight at day 7, recovery time of birth weight, and days of hospitalization in both groups. Results: The differences in gender, age, birth weight, and Apgar score between the two groups before treatment were not statistically significant (P>0.05) indicating comparability. After treatment, preterm infants in the experimental group showed significant improvement in feeding performance, first oral feeding time, gastric tube retention time, increased milk volume at day 3 and increased milk volume at day 7, increased weight at day 3 and increased weight at day 7, hospitalization days and other observed indexes compared with the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the feeding initiation time and recovery time of birth weight between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion: The combined application of oral motor training and pediatric tui-na is significantly more effective than single oral motor training in the short-term treatment of feeding intolerance in preterm infants. This combination therapy helps preterm infants to increase milk intake and accelerate weight gain, helps the children to recover intestinal function, establishes early nutritional support, promotes growth and development, and reduces the risk of long-term complications. This treatment is simple safe and efficient, and has the value of popularization.