Early evolution of oral feeding skills in very preterm infants: impact of an oral stimulation protocol assessed by cot-side suckometer: a pilot study
Abstract
Oral feeding acquisition is frequently delayed in very preterm infants, potentially affecting hospital discharge timing and longer-term feeding competence. Evidence supporting oral stimulation interventions remains heterogeneous, with few objective longitudinal assessments available. We aimed to evaluate the feasibility of cot-side assessment of non-nutritive sucking (suckometry) for assessing sucking maturation and to characterise early sucking performances before and after implementation of a structured oral stimulation protocol. We conducted a prospective quality improvement (QI) pre-post uncontrolled pilot study in a single-centre level III neonatal unit among infants born at 27-32 weeks' gestational age. Sucking performance was measured weekly from the first postnatal week until full oral feeding autonomy using a novel cot-side suckometer. Clinical characteristics and sucking performances were compared before and after protocol implementation. Seventeen infants were included (11 before, 6 after protocol). Median gestational age was 29.7 weeks and birth weight 1320 g (comparable between groups). Cot-side suckometry proved feasible from the first postnatal days. Approximately 73% of non-stimulated infants exhibited an early decline in sucking performance (a ~ 40% reduction, primarily affecting suction and compression bursts), whereas stimulated infants demonstrated progressive improvement (an approximately 120% increase). Conclusion: Cot-side suckometry provides feasible objective assessment of sucking maturation in very preterm infants. Oral stimulation was associated with more favourable sucking development, warranting further evaluation in larger trials.
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BibTeX
@article{picaud2026early,
title = {{Early evolution of oral feeding skills in very preterm infants: impact of an oral stimulation protocol assessed by cot-side suckometer: a pilot study}},
author = {Jean-Charles Picaud and Pierre Pradat and Thierry Pébayle and Nathalie Mory-Thomas and Blandine Pastor-Diez and Sabine Valette and Luc Marlier},
journal = {European Journal of Pediatrics},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1007/s00431-026-07344-0},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05742899v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-SA 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Early evolution of oral feeding skills in very preterm infants: impact of an oral stimulation protocol assessed by cot-side suckometer: a pilot study
AU - Jean-Charles Picaud
AU - Pierre Pradat
AU - Thierry Pébayle
AU - Nathalie Mory-Thomas
AU - Blandine Pastor-Diez
AU - Sabine Valette
AU - Luc Marlier
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/20
JO - European Journal of Pediatrics
DO - 10.1007/s00431-026-07344-0
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05742899v1
AB - Oral feeding acquisition is frequently delayed in very preterm infants, potentially affecting hospital discharge timing and longer-term feeding competence. Evidence supporting oral stimulation interventions remains heterogeneous, with few objective longitudinal assessments available. We aimed to evaluate the feasibility of cot-side assessment of non-nutritive sucking (suckometry) for assessing sucking maturation and to characterise early sucking performances before and after implementation of a structured oral stimulation protocol. We conducted a prospective quality improvement (QI) pre-post uncontrolled pilot study in a single-centre level III neonatal unit among infants born at 27-32 weeks' gestational age. Sucking performance was measured weekly from the first postnatal week until full oral feeding autonomy using a novel cot-side suckometer. Clinical characteristics and sucking performances were compared before and after protocol implementation. Seventeen infants were included (11 before, 6 after protocol). Median gestational age was 29.7 weeks and birth weight 1320 g (comparable between groups). Cot-side suckometry proved feasible from the first postnatal days. Approximately 73% of non-stimulated infants exhibited an early decline in sucking performance (a ~ 40% reduction, primarily affecting suction and compression bursts), whereas stimulated infants demonstrated progressive improvement (an approximately 120% increase). Conclusion: Cot-side suckometry provides feasible objective assessment of sucking maturation in very preterm infants. Oral stimulation was associated with more favourable sucking development, warranting further evaluation in larger trials.
SN - 0340-6199
SN - 1432-1076
ER -