The Effects of Massage on apnea and feeding intolerance Hospitalized Preterm Infants in NICU

Background: Iran is one of the regions with high incidence of premature births, accounting for 10% of newborns. An important factor for the survival chance of the neonate is age. Aim: This study investigated the effect of massage on premature infant’s complications in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of Ghaem Hospital in Mashhad. Methods: This study was conducted on 60 stable preterm newborns. Intervention was included passive massage movements on members and a daily intervention for three periods of fifteen minutes in 3 hours until 5 days. 30 newborns in an intervention group (mean gestational age of 32.8 weeks and mean birth weight of  1525.5gm g) were compared with 30 newborns in the control group (mean gestational age of 31.6 weeks and mean birth weight 1321 gm). Results: The study showed that the apnea and feeding intolerance in experimental group was significantly less than the control group P≥ 0/001. Conclusion: Our findings show that massage is an effective method for reducing the complications in stable premature.