Feeding Disorders Research

For some babies in the neonatal intensive care unit, eating doesn’t come naturally. Any infant that fails to eat orally is considered to have feeding difficulty. It’s these babies that are most at risk for lifelong feeding issues and assisted feeding methods.

Feeding difficulties can arise from a combination of gastrointestinal, esophageal, behavioral, neurological, structural, cardiorespiratory and metabolic origins. Using crib-side feeding studies, investigators at Nationwide Children's are identifying the mechanisms of feeding difficulties in neonates and young infants. These studies help transform babies into oral feeders before they leave the hospital, sparing them a lifetime of tube-assisted feedings.

Nationwide Children's is home to the only program in the world taking a multi-organ perspective to understand development of feeding disorders.

Faculty and Staff Focused on Feeding Disorders Research

• Sudarshan R. Jadcherla, MD, FRCP(I), DCH
• Manish Malkar, MD
• Alankar Gupta, MD

Latest Findings in Feeding Disorders Research

Esophageal Disease in Pediatrics
The following on esophageal disease in pediatrics contains commentaries on acquisition of neuromuscular maturation; physiology of esophageal peristaltic and sphincteric reflexes; implications for clinical practice; and conditions that predispose to severe gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in children with potential risk for esophageal cancer.

Access an abstract of this study: Esophageal disease in pediatrics. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2011 Sep;1232(1):401-4. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2011.06060.x. 

Esophageal Sensation in Premature Human Neonates
This study aimed to examine the effect of visceral provocation on aerodigestive reflexes, electrocortical arousals and respiratory changes in premature neonates.

Access an abstract of this study: Esophageal Sensation In Premature Human Neonates: Temporal Relationships and Implications of Aerodigestive Reflexes and Electro-Cortical Arousals. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2011 Aug 18. [Epub ahead of print] 

Study Helps Clarify Symptoms and Characteristics of Acid Reflux in Neonates
Modifying stomach acid levels may not be enough to treat symptoms in neonates suspected of having gastroesophageal reflux disease. According to a study from Nationwide Children’s Hospital, this is the first study to classify reflux and its associated symptoms in neonates based on how and what is refluxed.

Access an abstract of this study: Significance of gastroesophageal refluxate in relation to physical, chemical, and spatiotemporal characteristics in symptomatic intensive care unit neonates. Pediatr Res. 2011 Aug;70(2):192-8. 

Neonatal and Infant Feeding Disorders Program Saves Infants from Lifetime of Feeding Tubes
An innovative approach to treating neonatal feeding problems at Nationwide Children’s Hospital has allowed infants who were struggling to feed orally to be discharged earlier and without feeding tubes, subsequently saving millions of annual healthcare charges. This is the first study to describe an innovative approach to diagnose feeding problems and implement management strategies to improve oral feeding outcomes at discharge and followed at 1-year, among complex NICU infants expected to receive gastrostomy tubes.

Access an abstract of this study: Impact of Personalized Feeding Program in 100 NICU Infants: A Novel Pathophysiology-Based Approach for Better Outcomes. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2011 Jun 17. [Epub ahead of print] 

Current Feeding Disorders Grants

A Feeding Dynamic Intervention for Regulation of Energy Intake, National Institutes of Health (Ihuoma Eneli)

Neonatal Esophagus-Airway Interactions in Health and Disease, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Medical College of Wisconsin (Sudarshan Jadcherla)

Of Note

Dr. Jacherla Appointed to American Pediatric Society
Sudarshan Jadcherla, MD, FRCP(I), DCH, has been awarded membership to the American Pediatric Society, a professional and advocacy organization with a mission to advance the study of children and their diseases and to honor those who, by their contributions to pediatrics, have aided prevention of illness and promotion of childhood health.

Dr. Jadcherla Receives Prestegious GI Award
Neonatologist Sudarshan Jadcherla, MD, FRCP(I), DCH, received the 2009 Masters Award for Basic of Clinical Research in Digestive Sciences from the American Gastroenterological Association, an award typically given to gastroenterologists. In 2008, Nationwide Children’s clinician, Carlo Di Lorenzo, MD, received the award.