Field 1982.
| Methods | Parallel‐group randomised controlled trial | |
| Participants |
Participants: 57 preterm infants Mean birth weight: 1300 grams Mean gestational age: 32 weeks Mean postnatal age: study began day 1 Setting: neonatal unit, USA Inclusion criteria: birth weight < 1800 grams and < 35 weeks gestational age. Exclusion criteria: major congenital abnormalities, chromosomal abnormalities, oropharyngeal problems, and conditions known to be incompatible with life |
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| Interventions |
Experimental group: NNS during gavage feeding. Infants were given the pacifiers whether or not they made an effort to suck. Bottle feeding began when infants weighed 1500 grams, and their medical condition was stable Control: no pacifier during gavage feeding Both groups: infants were allowed a pacifier at any other time, but only the treatment babies received the pacifier during gavage feedings. |
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| Outcomes | Days of tube feedings
Number of tube feeds
Weight gain
Length of hospital stay
Cost of hospital stay Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment undertaken after each infant was placed in their crib. This was divided into 4 dimensions:
Bottle feeding interactions: were observed when the infant was placed in a crib in a minimal care nursery. Behaviors considered included: looking at the infant, talking to the infant, repositioning the infant and "jiggling" the infant's bottle. To assess feeding performance, trialists coded the incidence of regurgitation and the volume of formula intake and recorded the length of feeding time. |
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| Notes | — | |
| Risk of bias | ||
| Bias | Authors' judgement | Support for judgement |
| Random sequence generation (selection bias) | Low risk | Stratified random sampling technique |
| Allocation concealment (selection bias) | Unclear risk | Not reported |
| Blinding (performance bias and detection bias) All outcomes | High risk | Blinding of intervention ‐ no Blinding of outcome assessors ‐ unclear |
| Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes | Low risk | Complete follow‐up ‐ yes |
| Selective reporting (reporting bias) | Unclear risk | Study protocol not obtained |