Effect of Non Nutritive Sucking on Health Indices in Very Low Birth Weight Infant (VLBWI)

Objectives: Evaluate effects of NNS (non nutritive sucking) to the very low birth weight infant (VLBWI).
Method: Intervention study was conducted with total 28 VLBW infants hospitalized in P University Hospital; 14 NNS applicated and 14 general gavage feeding group. Providing blackmail nipple for the VLBWs at 11am for 10mins. Heart rate, oxygen saturation every 1 min and body weight every 2 am checked. The measurements were compared with repeated measures analysis of variance (RM-ANOVA) using MedCalc (ver. 12.2.1, Mariakerke, Belgium).
Result: The baseline status - gestational age, birth weight, Apgar score, application time of mechanical ventilation showed no differences in the two group. Weight tends to gain after loss, and on the seventh day, it was higher in NNS than control group (p=0.013). With comparing heart rate and oxygen saturation, NNS seemed to more supportable. And, NNS group is more easy to transit to bottle feeding.
Conclusion: NNS was effective to improve heart rate, oxygen saturation and to reduce hospitalization days in VLBWI. For the gavage feeding preterm infants, applying NNS would be helpful.