EFFECT OF CRYING AND NONNUTRITIVE SUCKING ON OXYGENATION IN TRANSITIONAL NEWBORN INFANTS (SUCKING).
Contributors: University of Florida.
Published: 1990
Number of pages: 163
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: Crying, a common phenomenon in newborn infants, is usually considered a normal behavior rather than a sign of stress. Crying in transitional newborn infants (TNBs) may induce intrathoracic pressure changes that can lead to right-to-left intracardiac shunting of blood, thereby prolonging their adaptation to extrauterine life.

This study was done to investigate the effect of crying and nonnutritive sucking (NNS) on oxygenation in TNBs. Fifty-nine normal, healthy infants between 8 and 72 hours old were randomly assigned, 29 to the Experimental (NNS) Group and 30 to the Control (ONNS) Group.

Transcutaneous oxygen (tcPO$\sb2$) was monitored with a Novametrix 840. Behavioral state data (BSt) was obtained with the Anderson Behavioral State Scale (ABSS). Data were collected during three consecutive time episodes: (a) baseline (5 min), (b) crying (5 min), and (c) postcrying (2 min). Crying was induced by a routine laboratory heelstick. NNS infants were given a pacifier immediately after the heelstick had occurred and crying had begun.

Mean decrease in tcPO$\sb2$ was 3.4 torr $\pm$ 7.09 (p =.0004) in all subjects. Mean decrease in tcPO$\sb2$ was 5.65 torr $\pm$ 6.20 in ONNS infants and 1.16 torr $\pm$ 7.32 in NNS infants (p = 0136). Mean decrease from baseline during the postcrying episode was 2.20 torr $\pm$ 9.25 in ONNS infants. Mean increase in NNS infants was 5.67 torr $\pm$ 7.24 (p =.0006).

Crying decreased tcPO$\sb2$ in TNBs. Crying, a modified Valsalva maneuver, may cause intrathoracic pressure changes that allow right-to-left shunting of venous blood through the foramen ovale. The mean decrease that occurred as a result of this crying was physiologically insignificant, but crying was limited to less than 5 minutes. Even so, some infants experienced decreases up to 19.32 torr, which may be harmful in certain TNBs. Nonnutritive sucking is an intervention that can reduce crying, thereby ameliorating decreases in oxygenation that may occur in crying TNBs and fostering intrauterine to extrauterine adaptation.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-02, Section: B, page: 0752.

Thesis (PH.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, 1990.

School code: 0070.