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CompletedNCT04156529Updated Nov 8, 2019

The Effect of Feeding Positions During Tube Feeding on Stress, Pain Level and Feeding Tolerance of Preterm Infants

An interventional study of ESU position and ESRL position in Pain, Stress and Enteral Feeding Intolerance, sponsored by Sibel Serap Ceylan. Completed at 1 site in Turkey. Open to participants aged 30 Weeks to 34 Weeks. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2019-11-08.

Sponsored by Sibel Serap Ceylan · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care

From the registry’s dates

  • Registered 5 months after the study started (first participant enrolled May 2019, registered Oct 2019).
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
34
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
30 Weeks to 34 Weeks
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Premature infants have a need for an orogastric or nasogastric feeding tube because of the immaturity of coordination between suck-swallow and breathing. Tube feeding could cause feeding intolerance and stress. One of the recommendations to prevent feeding intolerance is giving suitable position during tube feeding. Also, feeding intolerance is related to stress. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of semi-elevated supine (ESU) and semi-elevated right lateral (ESRL) positions on the stress, pain levels and feeding tolerance of premature infants during the tube feeding (TF). This was a clinical trial with a crossover design in which subjects randomly received a sequence of either ESU position or ESRL position, during the TF.

Read the detailed description

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of semi-elevated supine (ESU) and semi-elevated right lateral (ESRL) positions on the stress, pain levels and feeding tolerance of premature infants during the tube feeding (TF).

Method: This was a clinical trial with a crossover design in which subjects randomly received a sequence of either ESU position or ESRL position, during the TF. The sample size calculation was based on the crossover design. It assumed criteria that included the expectation of minimal differences in the average pain and stress score, 1.0; a difference of 2.0 in the standard deviation between ESU and ESRL positions; power, 0.80 and p \< .05. The sample size was calculated to be 34 participants. The inclusion criteria for participants were 30-34 weeks gestational age, stable vital signs, no oral feeding skills, feeding by orogastric tube, and had parental consent. Exclusion criteria were respiratory distress, congenital anomalies, necrotizing enterocolitis history, neurological and cardiological problems, receiving analgesic, sedative, or muscle relaxant medication that may affect pain and stress. The position to be given to the participants during TF first was determined by randomization. The sequence of feeding position was randomized by computer. Sixteen of the infants started TF with ESU position, whereas the other 18 started with ESRL position.

The study data were collected with "Descriptive Properties Form of Premature Newborn", Premature Newborn Follow-up Form", "Newborn Stress Scale", "ALPS-Neo Newborn Pain and Stress Assessment Scale".

For each participant, two feeding positions were applied at consecutive feeding time. Feeding tolerance was assessed by abdominal circumference measurements and checking gastric residuals. The abdominal circumference of the participants was measured with a tape measure before and after TF. Vital signs and oxygen saturation levels were measured before, during and after TF. The stress and pain levels of the participants were evaluated independently by the researchers before, during and after TF. Significance level p \<0.05 was used for all statistical analyses. Ethics committee approval, written permission from institutions and families were obtained for conducting the study.

02

Conditions studied

  • Pain
  • Stress
  • Enteral Feeding Intolerance

Keywords

  • body position
  • enteral feeding intolerance
  • nursing care
  • pain
  • stress
03

In context

Lead sponsor

This is the only study on the registry with Sibel Serap Ceylan as lead sponsor.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
30 Weeks to 34 Weeks
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • 30-34 weeks gestational age,
  • stable vital signs,
  • no oral feeding skills,
  • feeding by orogastric tube,
  • had parental consent

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • respiratory distress,
  • congenital anomalies,
  • necrotizing enterocolitis history,
  • neurological and cardiological problems,
  • receiving analgesic, sedative, or muscle relaxant medication that may affect pain and stress
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Supportive care
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Crossover assignment
Masking
Single (Participant)
Enrollment
34 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    ESU position

    Firstly, the semi-elevated supine position was given to participants during tube feeding

    Behavioral: ESU position · Behavioral: ESRL position

  • Experimental
    ESRL position

    Firstly, the semi-elevated right lateral position was given to participants during tube feeding

    Behavioral: ESU position · Behavioral: ESRL position

Interventions

  • BehavioralESU position

    Semi-elevated supine (ESU) position was given during tube feeding

  • BehavioralESRL position

    Semi-elevated right lateral (ESRL) position was given during tube feeding

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Neonatal pain

    ALPS-Neo Newborn Pain and Stress Assessment Scale was used. The ALPS-Neo is a five-item scale including facial expression, breathing pattern, tone of extremities, hand and foot activity, and level of activity. The lowest and the highest scores obtainable from the scale are 0 and 10, respectively. As the score increases, stress and pain increase.

    Time frame: Four month

  2. Neonatal stress

    Newborn Stress Scale was used. The scale includes eight items: face expression, color, respiration, activity level, consolation, muscle tone, extremities, and posture. Each item is scored on the scale 0-2. The minimum score is 0 and the maximum score is 16. As the score increases, the stress level of the infant increases.

    Time frame: Four month

  3. Feeding intolerance

    Abdominal circumference measurements and checking gastric residuals. The abdominal circumference of the participants was measured with a tape measure before and after TF.

    Time frame: Four month

Secondary outcomes

  1. Heart Rate

    A pulse oximetry probe was attached to the foot to measure heart rate. The number of heartbeats per minute was observed from the pulse oximetry monitor.

    Time frame: Four month

  2. Oxygen Saturation

    Oxygen saturation (SpO2) was obtained using a pulse oximetry device. Pulse oximetry measures peripheral arterial oxygen saturation (%) as a surrogate marker for tissue oxygenation.

    Time frame: Four month

  3. Respiratory Rate

    The respiratory rate is the number of breaths a person takes per minute. Respiratory rate was measured by observation.

    Time frame: Four month

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Sibel Serap Ceylan
    Denizli, 20100, Turkey
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Khatony A, Abdi A, Karimi B, Aghaei A, Brojeni HS. The effects of position on gastric residual volume of premature infants in NICU. Ital J Pediatr. 2019 Jan 8;45(1):6. doi: 10.1186/s13052-018-0591-9. PubMed 30621733 ↗
  • Dsilna A, Christensson K, Gustafsson AS, Lagercrantz H, Alfredsson L. Behavioral stress is affected by the mode of tube feeding in very low birth weight infants. Clin J Pain. 2008 Jun;24(5):447-55. doi: 10.1097/AJP.0b013e3181633fd6. PubMed 18496310 ↗
09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Nov 8, 2019, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT04156529
Lead sponsor
Sibel Serap Ceylan
Responsible party
Sibel Serap Ceylan (Principal Investigator, Pamukkale University) — Sponsor-investigator
First posted
Nov 7, 2019
Start date
May 6, 2019
Primary completion
Aug 15, 2019
Completion
Aug 28, 2019
Last update
Nov 8, 2019

Study contacts

Sibel Serap Ceylan
study director · Pamukkale Univesity

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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