Filling the Gaps for Feeding Difficulties in Neonates With Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy

Abstract

Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) in neonates poses long-term feeding difficulties and abnormalities of swallowing, the sequel of which is growth impairment. Such infants are also at risk of impaired self-feeding in the grown-up stage along with other motor and tone abnormalities leading to malnutrition and multiple aspiration pneumonia episodes. The lack of evidence-based and pragmatic feeding strategies in such neonates is because of varied unrecognized symptoms and lacking validated diagnostic approaches. This article approaches evidence related to the pathophysiologic basis of feeding difficulties in neonates with HIE as well as standardizing measures and techniques to improve the feeding abilities of such babies and, in turn, their long-term development. The present review provides a scaffold for putting importance on this less taken care issue of feeding problems and emphasizes that more objective and evidence-based studies are required to be added to the literature for early interventions and management of this issue so that caregivers and neonatologists are not misguided by crude subjective opinions.