There are so many important and exciting topics in the NANT 15 agenda. We wish we had the time and space to feature all presentations before the conference. For now, we chose to highlight this one because it reflects a frequently asked question, an ongoing and challenging clinical situation, and a subject that NICU teams spend time debating, reviewing, and revising. Thanks in advance to the speakers!
Presentation Title: What’s the Right Number? Using the Revised Risk Assessment for Feeding on High Flow Nasal Cannula (HFNC) to Improve Oral Feeding Outcomes
Presenters: Robin Glass, MS, OTR/L, IBCLC & Lynn Wolf, MOT, OTR/L, IBCLC
Date and Time: Saturday, March 29, 2025, during NANT 15 from 3-4pm ET, In-person offering
Description: For some infants, the journey to a thriving life begins in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Whether these infants are born prematurely, sustain neurologic injury, or have congenital defects of one or more organ systems, they may experience numerous life-sustaining medical interventions. Respiratory support is frequently a major component of their care.
A prime task for an infant in the NICU is the development of safe, efficient, and comfortable oral feeding. Neonatal therapists assess a wide range of subsystems to identify readiness to orally feed, vulnerabilities that could affect safety of oral feeding and skills for breast and bottle feeding. Importantly, during the timeframe an infant is learning to orally feed, they may require non-invasive respiratory support such as high flow nasal cannula (HFNC), which can impact their ability to safely feed. Philosophes regarding feeding on HFNC vary between units and geographic regions. The “Risk Assessment for Feeding on HFNC” was originally developed by Glass & Wolf (NANT, 2014) to assist Neonatal Therapists in identifying the appropriate oral feeding activity best suited for a premature infant’s level of respiratory support by broadening the discussion of feeding on HFNC beyond a numerical liter flow rate to consider all factors influencing feeding performance.
The Risk Assessment has now been newly updated to further refine the scoring criteria making it applicable to a wider range of diagnoses and gestational ages. These revisions provide Neonatal Therapists with clearer guidelines on which to base decisions regarding oral feeding. During this presentation, participants will learn to use the Risk Assessment as part of their clinical feeding evaluations, to understand how different types of respiratory support affect feeding coordination and swallowing, and strategies to optimize feeding for infants on HFNC so they can thrive.
Register here for NANT 15. *This presentation is not included in package 5.
While the NANT Conference focuses on neonatal OTs, PTs and SLPs, all interested professionals are welcome.
