title: Non-nutritive sucking for preterm infants in Egypt.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess how non-nutritive sucking (NNS) using a pacifier affected physiological and behavioral outcomes of preterm infants.
  
  
  METHODS
  Short-term longitudinal, experimental design.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study took place at the neonatal intensive care unit at Al-Mansoura, Egypt.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-seven preterm infants were divided into intervention and control groups. Preterm infants in the intervention group received NNS during nasogastric tube feeding while infants in the control group never received NNS. During 10 days, behavioral responses were videotaped and physiological responses were monitored.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significantly higher oxygen saturation occurred during and after nasogastric feeding for the intervention infants as compared to the control group. No significant group differences occurred in heart rate. The NNS group showed an accelerated transition to nipple feeding and had better weight gain and earlier discharge.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Non-nutritive sucking was found to improve physiological and behavioral responses of preterm infants.
authors.forename: Heba
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kamhawy
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Holditch-Davis
authors.forename: Sabah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alsharkawy
authors.forename: Safy
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alrafay
authors.forename: Kirsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Corazzini
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001724:Birth Weight; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology; D004534:Egypt; D004750:Enteral Nutrition / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric; D006801:Humans; D018730:Infant Behavior; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D041361:Pacifiers; D012016:Reference Values; D013391:Sucking Behavior; D015430:Weight Gain
keywords: behavior; developmental care; heart rate; non-nutritive sucking; oxygen saturation; preterm infants; sleep; wake