ABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the effect of a breathing pattern intervention (RPI) on the oral feeding of pre-term infants with suck-swallow-breath (SSwB) coordination disorder.Methods:Sixty pre-term infants with SSwB coordination disorder were divided into an observation group ( n=30) and a control group ( n=30) using a random number table. Both groups were given routine feeding training, including oral exercise intervention, non-nutritive sucking training, and swallowing induction training during nursing, while the observation group was additionally provided with 15 minutes of breathing pattern training once a day, including breathing pattern observation, resistive breathing training prior to eating and passive breathing pattern intervention during eating. Before and after the 7-day intervention, the Pre-term Infant Oral Feeding Readiness Assessment (PIOFRA) was used to evaluate each subject′s oral feeding ability. Rate of transfer (RT), proficiency (PRO), minimum oxygen partial pressure (SaO 2) and SaO 2 fluctuations were also recorded during the feeding process. Results:After 1 week of the intervention, significant improvement was observed in both groups. In the observation group the average RT (2.76±0.36ml/min), PRO, minimum SaO 2, the number of SaO 2 fluctuations, and PIOFRA score (33.28±0.58) were all significantly better than the control group′s averages. Conclusion:Breathing pattern intervention based on routine feeding training can enhance breathing coordination during swallowing and ultimately improve the oral feeding of pre-term infants with SSwB coordination disorders in a relatively short period of time.