In the United States alone, one in eight live births occur prematurely, or before the baby reaches a gestational age of 40 weeks. The average hospital stay for these premature infants lasts an average of 35.6 days with the typical cost of their care exceeding $100,000 dollars (Center for Healthcare Researcch and Transformation, 2010). While advances in medicine have increased the survivability of these infants dramatically, they still face many challenges. One challenge in particular is that of switching from nasogastric (NG) tube feedings to independent oral feedings from the breast or bottle. Premature infants usually require assistance to breathe, as their lungs are not fully developed. While on respiratory support, these infants are
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This allows them to have less adverse experiences, such as aspiration of the fluid, as well as be able to meet the discharge requirement of taking independent oral feedings. Transitioning premature infants to oral feedings based on development, rather than on the traditional practice of waiting until the infant reaches 34 weeks gestational age, can shorten their stay in the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and reduce the cost of their care (Fucile, Gisel, McFarland, & Lau, …show more content…
The study by Standley et al. (2010) included 68 preterm infants. The Barlow et al. (2008) study used a population of 31 infants and Fucile et al. (2011) studied the largest group consisting of 75 infants. The study by Fucile et al. (2011) seemed to have the best sample size for demonstrating power. The inclusion and exclusion criteria for each study were alike, allowing only healthy premature infants to be participants. The study conducted by Standley et al. (2010) experienced some attrition, as several infants were discharged from the hospital before the conclusion of the
This allows them to have less adverse experiences, such as aspiration of the fluid, as well as be able to meet the discharge requirement of taking independent oral feedings. Transitioning premature infants to oral feedings based on development, rather than on the traditional practice of waiting until the infant reaches 34 weeks gestational age, can shorten their stay in the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and reduce the cost of their care (Fucile, Gisel, McFarland, & Lau, …show more content…
The study by Standley et al. (2010) included 68 preterm infants. The Barlow et al. (2008) study used a population of 31 infants and Fucile et al. (2011) studied the largest group consisting of 75 infants. The study by Fucile et al. (2011) seemed to have the best sample size for demonstrating power. The inclusion and exclusion criteria for each study were alike, allowing only healthy premature infants to be participants. The study conducted by Standley et al. (2010) experienced some attrition, as several infants were discharged from the hospital before the conclusion of the