Terapia miofuncional para mejorar eficiencia en la succión en recién nacidos pretérmino

Abstract

Objective

Compare the characteristics of the preterm newborns who received myofunctional therapy with those who didn’t received it, and to analyze the time each group takes to reach effective sucking since the first sucking to the best one during their intrahospital stay.

Methods

Retrospective cohort study which included 442 preterm newborns between 28 to 36.6 weeks of gestational age admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Hospital Español de México between March 2014 to October 2016. The patients were divided in two groups: 1) the ones that received myofunctional therapy carried out by two people specialized in early intervention of the premature, and 2) the ones that did not. We registered perinatal history and measure the time it was taken to achieve an efficient sucking since the first sucking according to gestational age and weight.

Results

123 were exposed to myofunctional therapy. We observed a significant difference between both groups, being the exposed group the patients with lower gestational age and weight at birth and the ones presenting more comorbidities and days in hospital. The group that did not received myofunctional therapy achieved an earlier effective sucking than the one that received myofunctional therapy adjusted by gestational age and weight presented in the first sucking (mean 2.18 to 6.15 days; p = 0.06 to p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Small for gestational age, lower gestational weight at birth, more comorbidities and longer length of stay are factors that may delay the acquisition of efficiency in sucking. The myofunctional therapy should be started before starting nutritive sucking.