Ashley Weber1, Tondi M Harrison, Loraine Sinnott, Abigail Shoben, Deborah Steward. 1. N0B040 Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (Dr Weber); Nationwide Children's Hospital (Dr Weber); The Ohio State University College of Nursing, Columbus (Drs Harrison, Sinnott, and Steward); and The Ohio State University College of Public Health, Columbus (Dr Shoben).
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Oxytocin (OT) is a social hormone that may help researchers understand how nurse-guided interventions during initial infant hospitalization, such as supporting human milk expression, promoting comforting touch, and reducing exposure to stressors, affect preterm brain development. PURPOSE: To determine whether factors related to human milk, touch, or stressor exposure are related to plasma OT trajectories in premature infants. METHODS: Plasma from 33 premature infants, born gestational ages 25 to (Equation is included in full-text article.)weeks, was collected at 14 days of life and then weekly until 34 weeks' corrected gestational age (CGA). Variables related to feeding volumes of human milk and formula; touch, as indexed by skin-to-skin contact (SSC) and swaddled holding; and clinical stressors were extracted from the electronic medical record. Linear mixed-models tested associations between nurse-guided variables and plasma OT trajectories. RESULTS: In the final model, same-day SSC was positively related not only to plasma OT levels at 27 weeks' CGA (β= .938, P = .002) but also to a decline in plasma OT levels over time (β=-.177, P = .001). Volume of enteral feeds (mL/kg/d), its interaction with CGA, and number of stressful procedures were not statistically significant (β= .011, P = .077; β=-.002, P = .066; and β= .007, P = .062, respectively). IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Nurse-guided interventions are associated with infant plasma OT levels, suggesting nurses may impact the neurobiology of the developing premature infant. IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH: Replication with larger sample sizes and randomized controlled trial designs is needed to test effects of specific nursing interventions on infant OT.
BACKGROUND:Oxytocin (OT) is a social hormone that may help researchers understand how nurse-guided interventions during initial infant hospitalization, such as supporting humanmilk expression, promoting comforting touch, and reducing exposure to stressors, affect preterm brain development. PURPOSE: To determine whether factors related to humanmilk, touch, or stressor exposure are related to plasma OT trajectories in premature infants. METHODS: Plasma from 33 premature infants, born gestational ages 25 to (Equation is included in full-text article.)weeks, was collected at 14 days of life and then weekly until 34 weeks' corrected gestational age (CGA). Variables related to feeding volumes of humanmilk and formula; touch, as indexed by skin-to-skin contact (SSC) and swaddled holding; and clinical stressors were extracted from the electronic medical record. Linear mixed-models tested associations between nurse-guided variables and plasma OT trajectories. RESULTS: In the final model, same-day SSC was positively related not only to plasma OT levels at 27 weeks' CGA (β= .938, P = .002) but also to a decline in plasma OT levels over time (β=-.177, P = .001). Volume of enteral feeds (mL/kg/d), its interaction with CGA, and number of stressful procedures were not statistically significant (β= .011, P = .077; β=-.002, P = .066; and β= .007, P = .062, respectively). IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Nurse-guided interventions are associated with infant plasma OT levels, suggesting nurses may impact the neurobiology of the developing premature infant. IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH: Replication with larger sample sizes and randomized controlled trial designs is needed to test effects of specific nursing interventions on infantOT.
Authors: Ashley M Weber; Yamile C Jackson; Mason R Elder; Sarah L Remer; Nehal A Parikh; Jennifer J Hofherr; Kristin C Voos; Heather C Kaplan Journal: J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs Date: 2022-03-11