Effect of single-use, laser-cut, slow-flow nipples on respiration and milk ingestion in preterm infants

Katlyn E. McGrattan*, David H. McFarland, Jesse C. Dean, Elizabeth Hill, David R. White, Bonnie Martin-Harris

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

15 Scopus citations

Abstract

Purpose: Single-use, laser-cut, slow-flow nipples were evaluated for their effect on respiration and milk ingestion in 13 healthy preterm infants (32.7–37.1 weeks postmenstrual age) under nonlaboratory, clinical conditions. Method: The primary outcomes of minute ventilation and overall milk transfer were measured by using integrated nasal airflow and volume-calibrated bottles during suck bursts and suck burst breaks during slow-flow and standard-flow nipple bottle feedings. Wilcoxon signed-ranks tests were used to test the effect of nipple type on both outcomes. Results: Prefeeding minute ventilation decreased significantly during suck bursts and returned to baseline values during suck burst breaks across both slow-flow and standard-flow nipples. No differences were found in minute ventilation (p >.40) or overall milk transfer (p =.58) between slow-flow and standard-flow nipples. Conclusions: The lack of difference in primary outcomes between the single-use slow-flow and standard-flow nipples may reflect variability in nipple properties among nipples produced by the same manufacturer. Future investigations examining the effect of both single-use and reusable nipple products are warranted to better guide nipple selection during clinical care.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)832-839
Number of pages8
JournalAmerican journal of speech-language pathology
Volume26
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 2017

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Developmental and Educational Psychology
  • Speech and Hearing
  • Otorhinolaryngology
  • Linguistics and Language

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