Abstract:

Objective To investigate the association between early sucking patterns and neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm infants without obvious brain injury.Methods Sucking behaviors of 128 preterm infants born at 28 to 37 weeks of gestation were videotaped. The Neonatal Oral-Motor Assessment Scale (NOMAS) was used to assess initial 2-min sucking behaviors of the subjects. The subjects were divided into normal and abnormal sucking pattern groups based on the NOMAS scores at 36~37 weeks postmenstrual age. At 6 months corrected age, infants were administered the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BISD) test and anthropometry measurements.Results The infants in abnormal sucking pattern group had significantly lower Mental Development Index and Psychomotor Development Index of the BISD than normal sucking pattern group (P=0.002, P=0.032). Infants in abnormal sucking group showed a higher rate of below average scores than normal group (P=0.026). The incoordination of sucking, swallowing, and breathing significantly increased the odds of adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes at 6 month corrected age (RR=3.53, 95%CI: 1.48-8.42).Conclusion Sucking patterns in preterm infants without obvious brain injury are associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. But the clinical predictive value of abnormal sucking patterns for developmental delay needs to be determined in a longer term follow-up. Incoordination of sucking, swallowing, and breathing may be an early signal of adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes.