Hafström M, Kjellmer I
Department of Paediatrics, University of Göteborg, The Queen Silvia Children's Hospital, SU/Ostra, SE-416 85, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Early Hum Dev. 2001 Jun;63(1):37-52. doi: 10.1016/s0378-3782(01)00146-3.
Non-nutritive sucking (NNS) by the newborn infant is a fundamental behaviour and is one of the first coordinated muscular activities in the fetus.
Our objective is to study the NNS pattern in prematurely born infants, who had various conditions commonly associated with immaturity.
A specially designed computer-based method that analyses and quantifies components of the NNS pattern was used.
The pattern of 51 clinically stable prematurely born infants (gestational ages 26-35 weeks) making a total of 206 observations were analysed and findings were compared with those obtained from 58, healthy preterm infants.
The rhythmic NNS pattern of alternating sucking and pauses was elicited in all examined infants, the earliest at post-menstrual age (PMA) 26 weeks. The role of PMA, the dominant predictor for several sucking variables seen in the control group, became diminished for the infants with risk factors but changes were otherwise similar. The infants' sucking activity and sucking frequency increased and the variability of the pattern declined with increased PMA and weight. Follow-up of a subgroup of infants revealed fewer sucking bursts per minute, slower sucking frequency and a greater variability of the frequency and amplitudes in those infants who developed sequelae.
It would, thus, appear that the NNS pre-programmed rhythm generator, primarily modulated by maturation in healthy preterm infants, becomes affected by known risk associated events and in infants who later develop sequelae. Quantification of the NNS pattern in preterm infants may be a valuable future component of their evaluation.
新生儿的非营养性吸吮（NNS）是一种基本行为，是胎儿最早出现的协调性肌肉活动之一。
我们的目标是研究患有各种与不成熟相关疾病的早产儿的NNS模式。
使用一种专门设计的基于计算机的方法来分析和量化NNS模式的组成部分。
分析了51名临床状况稳定的早产儿（胎龄26 - 35周）的模式，共进行了206次观察，并将结果与58名健康早产儿的结果进行比较。
在所有接受检查的婴儿中均引发了吸吮和停顿交替的节律性NNS模式，最早在孕龄（PMA）26周时出现。PMA作为对照组中几个吸吮变量的主要预测指标，对于有风险因素的婴儿其作用减弱，但其他方面的变化相似。随着PMA和体重的增加，婴儿的吸吮活动和吸吮频率增加，模式的变异性下降。对一组婴儿的随访显示，出现后遗症的婴儿每分钟的吸吮爆发次数减少，吸吮频率减慢，频率和幅度的变异性更大。
因此，似乎NNS预先设定的节律发生器在健康早产儿中主要受成熟度调节，却会受到已知风险相关事件的影响，并且在后来出现后遗症的婴儿中也是如此。量化早产儿的NNS模式可能是其未来评估中有价值的组成部分。
