title: [CAN FOOD THICKENING IMPROVE THE ABILITY OF PREMATURE INFANTS TO ACQUIRE FULL ORAL FEEDING EARLIER? A PILOT STUDY].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Acquiring oral feeding skills can take longer in preterm infants and can lengthen their hospital stay.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To study whether food thickening could improve preterm infants' ability to reach full oral feeding earlier.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a prospective randomized trial for which 15 infants were recruited upon showing signs of oral feeding readiness. Eight infants fed on human milk were controls. Of the 7 infants fed on formula, five infants were randomized to food thickening with corn flour starch and two infants were given another un-thickened control.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean gestational age was 29.0 ± 2.3 weeks and mean birth-weight was 1174 ± 325 g. Food thickening had no effect on the time to reach full oral feeding (17.4 ± 6.7 days with thickened formula vs. 18.0 ± 7.0 on un-thickened formula and 12.1 ± 9.5 on human milk) or on the length of stay (66.8 ± 26.0 days vs. 52.5 ± 17.7 and 56.2 ± 25.3, respectivey). Multivariate analysis showed that time to full oral feeding and length of stay were only associated with gestational age or birth-weight and respiratory morbidity, as expressed in the number of ventilation and supplemental oxygen days. Weight gain was faster in those given thickened formula (36.0 ± 7.1 g/day) compared to those on human milk (28.5 ± 6.5 g/day).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Food thickening with corn flour did not shorten the time to reach full oral feeding in preterm infants. This type of food thickening was associated with extra weight gain. Larger blinded prospective studies are needed to confirm our findings.
authors.forename: Arieh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Riskin
authors.forename: Frida
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mor
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kugelman
authors.forename: Irit
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Shoris
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bader
mesh_terms: D001724:Birth Weight; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005433:Flour; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D041943:Infant Formula / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007902:Length of Stay; D008895:Milk, Human; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000502:physiology; D003313:Zea mays / Q000737:chemistry*