Contingent Mother’s Voice Intervention Targeting Feeding in Hospitalized Infants with Critical Congenital Heart Defects

Bibliographic Details
Title: Contingent Mother’s Voice Intervention Targeting Feeding in Hospitalized Infants with Critical Congenital Heart Defects
Authors: Caitlin P. Kjeldsen, Lelia Emery, Janet Simsic, Zhulin He, Ann R. Stark, Mary Lauren Neel, Nathalie L. Maitre
Source: Children, Vol 10, Iss 10, p 1642 (2023)
Publisher Information: MDPI AG, 2023.
Publication Year: 2023
Collection: LCC:Pediatrics
Subject Terms: mother’s voice, critical congenital heart defects, CCHD, neurodevelopment, feeding, non-nutritive sucking, Pediatrics, RJ1-570
More Details: Infants with critical congenital heart defects (CCHD) are at high risk for feeding challenges and neurodevelopmental delays; however, few interventions promoting the neurodevelopmental progression of feeding have been studied with this population. Contingent mother’s voice has been successfully used as positive reinforcement for non-nutritive suck (NNS) in studies with preterm infants, leading to improved weight gain and more rapid cessation of tube feedings; however, this type of intervention has not been studied in infants with CCHD. This study aimed to determine whether an NNS-training protocol using the mother’s voice as positive reinforcement and validated in preterm infants could improve oral feeding outcomes in hospitalized infants with CCHD undergoing cardiac surgical procedures. Infants were randomized to receive the contingent mother’s voice intervention before or after cardiac surgery, with a control comparison group receiving passive exposure to the mother’s voice after surgery. There were no significant differences in discharge weight, PO intake, length of stay, time to full feeds, or feeding status at 1-month post-discharge between infants who received contingent mother’s voice compared to those who did not. There were significant differences in PO intake and time to full feeds following surgery based on infants’ pre-enrollment PO status and severity of illness. At 1-month post-discharge, parents of infants in the intervention group expressed a higher rate of positive feelings and fewer concerns regarding their infant’s feeding compared to parents of infants in the control group. While the current protocol of 5 sessions was not associated with improved feeding outcomes in infants with CCHD, it empowered parents to contribute to their infant’s care and demonstrated the feasibility of using the mother’s voice as positive reinforcement for infants with CCHD. Further study of timing, intensity, and duration of interventions leveraging the mother’s voice in this population is needed. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03035552.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 2227-9067
Relation: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/10/10/1642; https://doaj.org/toc/2227-9067
DOI: 10.3390/children10101642
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/b7ff69e107804d518134a0712900c07b
Accession Number: edsdoj.b7ff69e107804d518134a0712900c07b
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
More Details
ISSN:22279067
DOI:10.3390/children10101642
Published in:Children
Language:English