| Summary |
The purpose of this thesis is to determine the incidence of emesis in the orogastrically fed Very Low Birth Weight (VLBW) infant in the prone position versus the right side-lying position and to determine if there is a relationship between the VLBW infant's feeding position and the infant's weight, age in days, feeding sequence for the day, or day of bolus feeding. A convenience sample of 51 VLBW infants were selected from an NICU population. Immediately prior to a schedule feeding time (no infant was orogastrically fed for purposes of the study), the principal investigator selected a card at random designating one of the two feeding positions (head up/prone position or head up/right side-lying position) and placed the infant in this position for 30 minutes post-feeding by the researcher, the completion of 30 minutes, the researcher documented the incidence of emesis, if any and if so, how much, using a researcher-developed tool, infant twice, the study continued until data on 100 feedings were collected, after which the study was terminated. The results of this study show there was no significant relationship between the incidence of emesis in either of At Effort was made to feed each the two feeding positions studies and the infant's weight, age, feeding sequence for the day, or day of bolus feeding. The study does, however, demonstrate a significant relationship between the overall incidence of emesis and the feeding position. Infants fed and maintained in the right side-lying position had a greater incidence of emesis (14.6%) compared to those fed in the prone position (2%). The significance of these findings are important to NICU bedside nurses. By positioning the VLBW infant in the head up/prone position during and after feedings the nurse may facilitate feeding retention and appropriate calorie consumption, possibly shorten the infant's hospitalization, and most importantly, may minimize the occurrence of gastroesophageal reflux and its inherent sequelae. |
