Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Patterned Feeding Experience For Preterm Infants: Study Protocol For A Randomized Controlled Trial, Rita H. Pickler, Paul A. Wetzel, Jareen Meinzen-Derr, Heather L. Tubbs-Cooley, Margo Moore

Biomedical Engineering Publications

Background

Neurobehavioral disabilities occur in 5–15 % of preterm infants with an estimated 50–70 % of very low birth weight preterm infants experiencing later dysfunction, including cognitive, behavioral, and social delays that often persist into adulthood. Factors implicated in poor neurobehavioral and developmental outcomes are hospitalization in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and inconsistent caregiving patterns. Although much underlying brain damage occurs in utero or shortly after birth, neuroprotective strategies can stop lesions from progressing, particularly when these strategies are used during the most sensitive periods of neural plasticity occurring months before term age. The purpose of this randomized …