title: Relationship between oxygen saturation, gestational age, and level of oral feeding skills in preterm infants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To correlate the peripheral oxygen saturation with gestational age and the level of oral feeding skills in the introduction of oral feeding in preterm infants.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a cross-sectional, quantitative study whose sample was composed of 169 clinically stable preterm infants. Peripheral oxygen saturation was assessed before and after introduction of oral feeding. The preterm infants were stratified into three groups based on their gestational age at birth: 26-29, 30-33, and 34-36 weeks. The preterm infants were classified into four levels according to their oral feeding skill and resistance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No differences in oxygen saturation were observed between the strata of gestational age and between the levels of oral feeding skill. Differences were observed in the groups of preterm infants aged 30-33 weeks (p=0.04) and 34-36 weeks (p=0.02) and on the level I of oral feeding skills (p=0.04) when oxygen saturation was compared at pre- and post-first oral feeding. Significant correlations (p<0.001) were found between gestational age and the levels of oral feeding skills (r=0.38); in Group A, between gestational age and oxygen saturation before the first oral feeding (r=0.83); in Group B, between the level of oral feeding skill and oxygen saturation before the first oral feeding (r=0.26) and between level of oral feeding skill and gestational age (r=0.26).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Correlation was found for peripheral oxygen saturation when compared with gestational age and with the level of oral feeding skills.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Santa Maria - UFSM - Santa Maria (RS), Brasil.
authors.forename: Raquel Coube de Carvalho
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Santa Maria - UFSM - Santa Maria (RS), Brasil.
authors.forename: Leila Sauer
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Prade
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Santa Maria - UFSM - Santa Maria (RS), Brasil.
authors.forename: Geovana de Paula
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Bolzan
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Santa Maria - UFSM - Santa Maria (RS), Brasil.
authors.forename: Angela Regina Maciel
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Weinmann
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Santa Maria - UFSM - Santa Maria (RS), Brasil.
authors.forename: Márcia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Keske-Soares
mesh_terms: D001903:Bottle Feeding; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D010100:Oxygen; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D013391:Sucking Behavior / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen