INDWELLING POLYETHYLENE NASOGASTRIC TUBE FOR FEEDING PREMATURE INFANTS

[摘要] Experiences with an indwelling polyethylene nasogastric tube in feeding 30 small premature infants for periods varying from 7 to 49 days have been described. The technic has the following advantages: 1. The interval between feedings may be shortened, if necessary, without any increase in the likelihood of esophageal irritation. 2. Feedings disturb the infant so little as to cause no fatigue. 3. Feeding can be accomplished so easily that less skill is demanded of the nurse.Two of the 30 infants died, and each had an ulcer in the upper, anterior part of the esophagus. Similar ulcers were noted by Gruenwald and Marsh in 16⅔% of 310 autopsied infants. Two other infants developed a purulent rhinitis on the side of the tube. Each infant suffered from other, seemingly unrelated infections at the time. Thrush was never noted. Occult blood was absent in the 50 stools obtained from 18 infants, as indicated by a negative guaiac test.Nine of the 10 infants weighing less than 1,000 gm. at birth survived, as did 15 of the 16 who weighed 1,000 to 1,499 gm.A complete evaluation of esophageal irritation in tube as compared with gavage feeding will require a more extended study.Results so far with the polyethylene tube lead the authors to believe it to be a better device for feeding premature infants than either the rubber gavage tube repeatedly inserted or the dropper.

[学科分类] 儿科学