Profile of premature babies cared for by speech therapy team in a kangaroo neonatal intermediate care unit

Abstract

Purpose: To describe the profile of premature newborns who require speech therapy at the Kangaroo Neonatal Intermediate Care Unit in a reference maternal and child hospital. Methods: Descriptive, prospective, and quantitative study in which data from electronic medical records of hospitalized patients who required speech therapy care in June 2024 were analyzed. The data were transferred to a Google Forms form, tabulated, and analyzed in absolute and relative numbers. Results: 30 premature babies were treated and included. Of these, 60% were male and 40% female. The most common probable cause of premature birth was gestational hypertension (25,5%). The most frequent number of prenatal consultations was 6 to 10 (53,3%). The gestational age at birth and the age at the start of care in the KNICU were 31 to 35 weeks and more than 35 weeks post-conceptional age. Most (58,1%) had low birth weight and were born appropriate for gestational age (86,7%). The majority (46,7%) started speech therapy with a weight above 2000g and were discharged from the hospital with a weight above 2000g (73,3%). The most frequent feeding route at the beginning of care was suction on the mother’s breast associated with a nasogastric tube (76,7%), at the time of transfer to the KNICU. The majority (46,7%) underwent 6 to 10 speech therapy sessions and the most common associated neonatal change was neonatal jaundice (n=16). The most common risk indicator for hearing loss was hospitalization in the KNICU for more than 5 days (n=11), followed by the use of ototoxic medications (n=4). The majority (96,7%) presented normal results in both ears during the hearing screening. Conclusion: It was possible to describe the profile of patients treated by the Speech Therapy team and the importance of therapeutic monitoring in the search for exclusive breastfeeding.