The effect of positioning on energy expenditure in preterm infants: A feasibility study

Shaul Dollberg*, Gala Yacov, Francis B. Mimouni, Mila Barak

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility of a study of the effect of positioning on energy expenditure in preterm infants. We performed a prospective, randomized, clinical cross-over pilot study of eight healthy, appropriate weight for gestational age, gavage-fed, clinically stable preterm infants at the postmenstrual age of 30 weeks. Prior to the study and in accord with our feeding protocol, infants uniformly received either their own mother's milk or a preterm formula. Each infant was studied in four different positions after randomization to eight different sequences. Infants were studied asleep, 90 minutes after feeding, after 20 minutes of being nursed in a given position. They were cared for in a servo-controlled convective incubator during the metabolic measurements, which were performed by indirect calorimetry. Energy expenditure was not significantly affected by the body position in which the infant was studied. The difference between the highest and the lowest mean energy expenditure was 3.7% of the highest one. We conclude that attempts to minimize energy expenditure by modifying infant positioning are likely to be insignificant, from a practical standpoint, because of the nonsignificant or minimal differences in energy expenditure.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)391-394
Number of pages4
JournalAmerican Journal of Perinatology
Volume21
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2004

Keywords

  • Body position
  • Convective incubator
  • Growing preterm infants
  • Metabolic rate

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The effect of positioning on energy expenditure in preterm infants: A feasibility study'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this