title: Oral Feeding Assessment Predicts Length of Hospital Stay in Late Preterm Infants.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  When compared with term infants, late preterm (LP) infants have greater morbidity and mortality, longer hospital stay, and greater rate of hospital readmission. Oral feeding difficulty is one of the prominent reasons for delayed discharge in LP infants.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To identify the maturity levels of LP infants' oral feeding skills (OFS) at the time of their first oral feeding and to determine the relationship between OFS maturity levels and length of hospital stay.
  
  
  METHODS
  OFS was assessed in 48 LP infants born between 340/7and 356/7weeks gestational age at the time of their first oral feeding within 24 h of birth. The intake at 5 minutes, at completion of the feeding, and the duration of feeding a 15 mL prescribed volume of milk were tabulated. Proficiency expressed as percent mL consumed in the first 5 min/15 mL prescribed and rate of milk transfer over the entire feeding (mL/min) were recorded. OFS were assessed using a novel 4-level scale defined by the combined proficiency and rate of milk transfer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  When compared with their 35-week counterparts, infants born at 34 weeks gestation had poorer OFS profiles (p = 0.035) and longer hospital stay (p < 0.001). Additionally, further analyses demonstrated that, independently, LOS was associated negatively with both GA and OFS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Assessment of OFS levels in LP infants at their first oral feeding can help identify infants at risk of oral feeding issues that may delay hospital discharge. For those infants, we speculate that provision of evidence-based efficacious interventions that improve OFS may shorten hospital stay and decrease hospital re-admissions.
authors.affiliation: Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Houston TX.
authors.forename: Chantal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.affiliation: Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York, New Hyde Park NY.
authors.forename: Kiran
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bhat
authors.affiliation: Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York, New Hyde Park NY.
authors.forename: Debra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Potak
authors.affiliation: Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York, New Hyde Park NY; Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine, Hempstead NY.
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Schanler
keywords: Feeding Skills; Late Preterm; Near Term; Oral Feeding; Postnatal Maturation