Cloth sling for treatment of infant gastroesophageal reflux.

Debra Galvan Nordstrom, COTA, is employed al Health South Rehabilitation Hospital, Humble, Texas. (Mailing address: 14545 Bammel NOrlh HouSLOn Road, Apt. 901, HouSLOn, Texas 77014) Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) is a disorder that affects many infants. GER is a malfunc­ tion of the distal esophageal sphincter that causes frequent return of stomach contents into the esophagus (Herbst, 1981). If untreated, GER can re­ sult in vomiting, weight loss, failure to thrive, melena, heartburn, esophageal stricture, abnormal neurologic symptoms (Herbst, 1981), recurrent pneumonias, and apnea (Ramenofsky & Leape, 1981) Positioning is the primary conservative treatment regimen for infants suffering from GER (Herbst, 1981; Meyers & Herbst, 1982; Ramenofsky & Leape, 1981); it includes placing the infant in a prone upright posi­ tion at a 30 0 angle to keep the stomach contents below the level of the gastroesophageal sphincter. Because infants are not developmentally able to as­ sume or maintain a prone, head-elevated posture of 30 over a prolonged period, various positioning de­ vices have been tried (Herbst, 1981; Meyers & Herbst, 1982; Orenstein, Whitington, & Orenstein, 1983). These devices include an inclined board with a pad­ ded peg that fits between the legs to maintain the position, or a special infant seat that places the infant in a supine position. A cloth restraint for holding in-