Sistema Gastrointestinal e Digestivo

Abstrato

Is the Routine Insertion of a Gastric Tube Necessary for Full Term or Late Preterm Infants Admitted with Mild Respiratory Distress in NICU?

Ji Hee Kim, Ho Min Jang, Heui Seung Jo, Ju Sun Heo, Ji Hyun Jeon, Kyu Hyung Lee

Objectives: Gastric tubes are routinely in infants with transient tachypnea of newborn and mild respiratory distress. This study was conducted to investigate the need for routine insertion of gastric tube in full term and late preterm infants with mild respiratory distress admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. Methods: This study was conducted on full term and late preterm infants who were admitted with mild respiratory distress to the Gangnam Cha Hospital NICU. From January to June 2014, a retrospective chart review was done 62 infants in the control group for whom an orogastric or nasogastric tube was routinely inserted and whose feedings were increased before gastric tubes were removed. In the experimental group infants, from July to September 2014, no gastric tube was inserted or was inserted for the identification of choanal atresia and for gastric contents aspiration and then removed rapidly. Results: The mean gestational age and birth weight of the infants in the experimental group were 37.2 ± 3.6 weeks and 2866 ± 337 gm, respectively, and those in the control group, 37.2 ± 3.2 weeks and 2849 ± 677 gm. There were no infants who needed intubation and CPAP or mandatory ventilator support. Most of the subjects in the experimental and control group were diagnosed with transient tachypnea of the newborn. The mean achieving age at full enteral feeding of experimental group infants was 4.76 days that for the control group infants, 4.67 day. The duration of hospital stay was 7.15 days for the experimental group infants and 7.23 days control group infants. Conclusion: We concluded that the routine use of a gastric tube for term and late preterm infants admitted with mild respiratory distress in NICU may be unnecessary, and that either a gastric tube should not be used at all for such infants or the period of its use should be minimized.