At a glance
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Cold Liquids Fed to Preterm Infants: Efficacy and Safety After 10 Minutes of Exposure
In Brief
A clinical study evaluating Cold Liquid Barium for Deglutition Disorders and Respiratory Aspiration. Completed, enrolled 4,043 participants across 1 site.
Detailed Summary
A previous study revealed that dysphagia preterm infants show statistically significant improvements in their swallowing mechanism when fed cold liquid barium when compared to room temperature liquid barium. The previous study was the first to identify these positive effects, although, only assessed 5 cold liquid swallows, immediately after the room temperature condition. This limited data set restricts the efficacy and safety of using cold liquids in clinical practice, emphasizing the need for further information. The present study aims to objectively assess the influence of cold liquid on the pharyngeal swallow mechanism in preterm infants with dysphagia after 10 minutes of a cold liquid feeding. The investigators will utilize videofluoroscopic swallow studies (VFSS) to analyze the frequency and severity of pharyngeal swallowing deficits during room temperature swallows and compare it to cold liquid swallows at various time points within a 10 minute feeding. Safety measures will also be obtained, such as participant axillary body temperature and gastric content temperature, to identify indicators for the development of cold stress.
Study Details
Timeline
Interventions
Cold Liquid is defined as being between 4-9 °C. One liter bottles of Poland Spring Natural Spring Water will be kept in the radiology suite to remain at room temperature. As described by Fink and colleagues,(42) the bottled water will be used to mix the barium powder to create a thin liquid consistency, with 50% dilution, which is found to be most similar to human milk and infant formula. After the barium is prepared, 2oz will be poured into a bottle and placed in a refrigerator set to 36°F; this will allow the barium to cool to approximately 4-9°C. Before oral administration, the barium mixture will be measured with a thermometer (TP3001 Digital Thermometer from Red Lantern®) to document the exact temperature.