Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Early discharge of premature infants < 37 weeks gestational age with nasogastric tube feeding: the new standard of care?

  • Original Article
  • Published:
European Journal of Pediatrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Most premature infants are hospitalised until they no longer need monitoring of vital parameters and are independent of nasogastric tube feeding (NTF). Hospital admission time easily reaches a length of multiple months in extremely preterm infants, but also in late preterms, in whom drinking may be the only problem, hospital admission time can reach weeks. This is a very stressful time for both parents and child. Parents in the Albert Schweitzer Hospital (ASH) are taught to give their child NTF. When monitoring is no longer necessary, the child can be discharged with NTF, with home care by paediatric nurses. In this study duration of NTF at home, safety of the procedure and parental satisfaction with NTF at home were evaluated. Duration of NTF at home was compared to admission time from cessation of monitoring till discharge independent of NTF in infants born in two comparable hospitals where discharge with NTF is not standard care. Median duration of NTF at home in the ASH infants was 9 days. In the control group, median admission time after cessation of monitoring was 9 days. No complications related to NTF at home were noted. Ninety-six percent of parents regarded NTF at home as safe and would repeat it in the future.

Conclusion: NTF at home in premature infants shortens hospital admission time, is safe and results in high parental satisfaction rates.

What is Known:

• Premature infants are most often hospitalised until they are no longer dependent on NTF. Hospital admission time therefore easily reaches a length of multiple months for the extremely preterm infant. This can be a very stressful time for both parents and child.

What is New

• Making discharge with NTF in otherwise stable premature infants possible, by teaching parents the procedure and by providing home care by paediatric nurses.

• NTF at home in premature infants is safe, limits hospital admission time and has high parental satisfaction rates.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

ASH:

Albert Schweitzer Hospital

BPD:

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia

GA:

Gestational age

IC:

Intensive care

IVH:

Intraventricular haemorrhage

MSH:

Maasstad Hospital Rotterdam

NHG:

Northwest Hospital Group Alkmaar

NICU:

Neonatal intensive care unit

NTF:

Nasogastric tube feeding

References

  1. Collins CT, Makrides M, McPhee AJ (2003) Early discharge with home support of gavage feeding for stable preterm infants who have not established full oral feeds (review). Cochrane Database Syst Rev (4):CD003743. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858

  2. Meerlo-Habing ZE, Kosters-Boes EA, Klip H, Brand PLP (2009) Early discharge with tube feeding at home for preterm infants is associated with longer duration of breast feeding. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed 94:F294–F297

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Ortenstrand A, Waldenstrom U, Winbladh B (1999) Early discharge of preterm infants needing limited special care, followed by domiciliary nursing care. Acta Paediatr 88:1024–1030

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Shaker CS (2017) Infant-Guided, co-regulated feeding in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Part II: Interventions to promote neuroprotection and safety. Semin Speech Lang 38:106–115

  5. Sturm LD (2005) Implementation and evaluation of a home gavage program for preterm infants. Neonatal Network 24(4):21–25

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Visie document Medisch Specialist 2025: ambitie, vertrouwen, samenwerken. Federatie Medisch Specialisten, 2017. (Vision document Medical Specialist 2025: ambition, trust and cooperation. Federation Medical Specialists 2017)

  7. Westrup B (2015) Family-centered developmentally supportive care: the Swedish example. Arch Pediatr 22(10):1086–1091

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

On behalf of Nutrisociety.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Albert Schweitzer Hospital (ASH), Dordrecht, The Netherlands

    Francoise van Kampen, Amerik de Mol, Jacqueline Korstanje & Gerlinde Stoelhorst

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Spaarne Gasthuis, Haarlem, The Netherlands

    Amerik de Mol

  3. Department of Pediatrics, Northwest Hospital Group (NHG), Alkmaar, The Netherlands

    Femke Maingay-de Groof & Linda van Meurs-Asseler

  4. Department of Pediatrics, Maasstad Hospital (MSH), Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    Helene Stas & Richard Willemsen

  5. Department of Medical Statistics, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Aeilko Zwinderman

Authors
  1. Francoise van Kampen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Amerik de Mol
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jacqueline Korstanje
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Femke Maingay-de Groof
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Linda van Meurs-Asseler
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Helene Stas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Richard Willemsen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Aeilko Zwinderman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Gerlinde Stoelhorst
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Francoise van Kampen: data collection, first author.

Amerik de Mol: design study, data collection, co-author.

Jacqueline Korstanje: data collection, co-author.

Femke Maingay- de Groof: supervisor data collection NHG, reviewer manuscript.

Linda van Meurs-Asseler: data collection in the NHG.

Helene Stas: supervisor data collection MSH, reviewer manuscript.

Richard Willemsen: data collection in the MSH.

Aeilko Zwinderman: statistics, reviewer manuscript.

Gerlinde Stoelhorst: study coordination, data collection, last author.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gerlinde Stoelhorst.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in the studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained.

Additional information

Communicated by Patrick Van Reempts

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

van Kampen, F., de Mol, A., Korstanje, J. et al. Early discharge of premature infants < 37 weeks gestational age with nasogastric tube feeding: the new standard of care?. Eur J Pediatr 178, 497–503 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-018-03313-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-018-03313-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation