Clinical Research Directory

The Effect of Body Position on Oropharyngeal Swallow Function in Infants

Sponsor: Connecticut Children's Medical Center

Summary

Infants are typically fed in a cradled, upright position, however feeding specialists/SLPs often position infants in a side-lying position to promote safe, quality, and neurodevelopmentally protective feeding which is supported by currently available literature. Side-lying position is often recommended by feeding specialists to reduce the risk for aspiration and improve other components of infant swallow function. However, there is no literature directly assessing airway protection during the swallow with the infant in the side-lying versus upright positions. The goal of this study is to conduct an instrumental assessment (Modified Barium Swallow/Videofluoroscopic Swallow Study) in these different positions (upright versus side-lying) to determine if there is a difference in airway compromise. The target population are infants between post-menstrual ages of 38-56 weeks who are referred for a modified barium swallow study.

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