Clinical exploration on the effect of breast-feeding on neonatal cerebral tissue oxygen saturation

Fanyue QIN; Xiaohong WEN

ABSTRACT

Objective:

To study the effect of breast feeding on tissue oxygen saturation of newborns, and to explore the mechanism.

Methods:

A total of 60 full-term newborns in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from December 2018 to April 2019 were enrolled in this study.There were 30 infants were fed by breast milk (BM group) and 30 infants were fed by formula milk (FM group). Cerebral tissue oxygen saturation index(cTOI), splanchnic tissue oxygen saturation index (sTOI), cerebral tissue hemoglobin index(cTHI) and splanchnic tissue hemoglobin index(sTHI) of infants before, during and after feeding were measured by near infrared reflectance(NIRS).

Results:

In the BM group, cTOI during feeding [(63.42±2.55)%] was significantly higher than that before feeding [(61.13±2.80)%]( P<0.05), and cTOI after feeding [(62.19±2.44)%] was not significantly different from that before feeding ( P>0.05). In the FM group, no significant difference in cTOI was observed before feeding [(61.70±2.25)%], during feeding [(61.74±2.25)%], and after feeding [(61.12±2.05)%]. In the BM group, cTHI du-ring feeding [(1.31±0.37) mmol/(L·min)] was significantly higher than that before feeding[(1.04±0.35) mmol/(L·min)] ( t=-2.52, P<0.05), and cTHI after feeding [(1.36±0.39) mmol/(L·min)] was not signi-ficantly different from that during feeding ( P>0.05). In the FM group, there was no significant change of cTHI before feeding [(1.28 ±0.33)mmol/(L·min)], during feeding [(1.29±0.39)mmol/(L·min)] and after feeding [(1.33±0.42) mmol/(L·min)] ( P>0.05). In the BM group, sTOI and sTHI showed a downward trend, but there was no statistical difference ( P>0.05), respectively.In the FM group, there was no significant change of sTOI and sTHI , respectively( P>0.05).

Conclusions:

Breast feeding can increase the level of cTOI.The reason is breast milk can well activate brain automatic regulation mechanism, and increase cerebral blood perfusion and oxygen supply, exerting a positive impact on the changes of cerebral hemodynamics in newborns.