Novel feeding system to promote establishment of breastfeeds after preterm birth: a randomized controlled trial

Objective:we aimed to determine if a novel feeding system where milk only flowed when the preterm infant created a vacuum would influence time to full oral feeds, the length of stay (los) in hospital and breastfeeding at discharge.study design:this was a randomized controlled trial in the tertiary neonatal intensive care unit at king edward memorial hospital, perth, australia. eligibility criteria were: preterm infants of gestational age 25 to 34 weeks receiving >75% human milk by gastric tube. infants were randomly assigned to being fed with a novel teat (nt) or conventional teat (ct). intention to treat analysis was performed.result:time to full suck feeds was not different between groups. los was shorter (mean: 2.5 days; p=0.026) and less formula was fed at discharge in the nt group (p=0.036).conclusion:use of a nt that releases milk when the infant applies vacuum while establishing breastfeeding reduces duration of hospitalization of preterm infants.