A Ducted, Biomimetic Nipple Improves Aspects of Infant Feeding Physiology and Performance in an Animal Model.
C J Mayerl, E B Kaczmarek, A E Smith and 9 others
PMID 39487856WHAT IT FOUND
In infant pigs, a solid nipple with narrow ducts reduced aspiration risk and increased suction pressure compared to a standard hollow nipple.
Pigs raised on the ducted nipple showed the greatest safety benefits, even with larger boluses.
Key findings
01Infant pigs raised on and feeding from the ducted nipple had significantly lower odds of aspiration and penetration compared to those on a standard nipple.
02Feeding on the ducted nipple required greater intraoral suction pressure and resulted in smaller boluses compared to the standard nipple.
03Pigs raised on the standard nipple performed poorly when switched to the ducted nipple, generating less suction and consuming milk more slowly, whereas pigs raised on the ducted nipple adapted better to the standard nipple.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study was conducted entirely in an animal model (infant pigs), so the results may not translate directly to human infants. The sample size was very small (n=8 pigs). The subjects were healthy term infants with no feeding difficulties; the effects on premature infants or those with known dysphagia are unknown. The study did not assess long-term developmental outcomes such as speech or breathing. A ducted nipple cannot replicate all aspects of breastfeeding, such as nutrient composition and hormonal signaling.
Declared interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this nipple is ready for clinical use or proven effective in humans. The findings are from a single small animal study of healthy pigs, and the authors explicitly state that the impact on infants with feeding challenges remains unknown.