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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]