Effects of different feeding intervals on the feeding outcomes of infants who underwent surgical repair of ventricular septal defects

OBJECTIVE The objective of the present study is to explore the effect of different feeding intervals on the feeding outcomes of infants who underwent ventricular septal defect (VSD) closure. METHODS This study is a prospective, randomized controlled trial conducted by a provincial hospital in China. According to different feeding intervals, 78 eligible participants were randomly divided into Group A (2-h interval, n = 39) and Group B (3-h interval, n = 39). The basic clinical data, total feeding time, incidence of feeding intolerance, and nurse job satisfaction scores of the two groups were collected. RESULTS The total feeding time in Group A was significantly longer than that in Group B (142.5 ± 15.4 vs. 132.0 ± 16.1 min/d, p = .020). The nurse job satisfaction scores in Group A were significantly lower than those in Group B (101.7 ± 9.8 vs. 108.8 ± 10.1, p = .005). There were no significant differences in the duration of mechanical ventilation (3.7 ± 1.1 vs. 3.9 ± 1.0 d, p = .272), length of ICU stay (4.5 ± 1.1 d vs. 4.7 ± 0.9 d, p = .451), or length of hospital stay (13.2 ± 1.4 vs. 13.3 ± 1.0 d, p = .642) between the two groups. Although the incidence of feeding intolerance in Group A was slightly lower than that in Group B, the difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION Feeding at an interval of 2 or 3 h has no significant effect on the feeding outcomes of infants, and feeding at intervals of 3 h can reduce nurses' workload and improve nursing job satisfaction.