The Effect of Abdominal Massage on Jaundice and Defecation in Newborn Babies

Kutahya Health Sciences University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Jaundice, Neonatal; Phototherapy; Hyper Bilirubinemia

Treatments: Other: Massage once a day for 3 days.; Other: Massage twice a day for 3 days.

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07388732

2019/137

Details and patient eligibility

About

Hyperbilirubinemia is a common condition in term newborns and is often treated with phototherapy. It is thought that abdominal massage may increase bowel movements, thereby increasing the frequency of defecation and supporting bilirubin excretion.

This randomized controlled trial aimed to evaluate the effect of abdominal massage, applied once or twice daily using the Vimala technique, on transcutaneous bilirubin levels and defecation frequency in hyperbilirubinemia-affected term newborns receiving phototherapy in the neonatal intensive care unit.

The study was conducted in the neonatal intensive care unit of a university hospital between February 29, 2020, and August 17, 2023. A total of 35 newborns meeting the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into three groups. Group Massage-1 received 10 minutes of abdominal massage once daily before feeding for three days (n=12). Group Massage-2 received massage twice daily for the same duration (n=10). The control group received routine care (n=13).

Enrollment: 35 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 2 to 10 days old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Term newborns (37-42 weeks gestation)
• 2-10 days postpartum
• Diagnosed with hyperbilirubinemia
• Receiving phototherapy
• Fully orally fed.

Exclusion criteria

• Newborns with ABO incompatibility or Rh incompatibility.
• Diagnosed with direct hyperbilirubinemia.
• Genetic/metabolic diseases
• Infections within 24 hours
• With a need for fluid replacement
• Having skin anomalies
• Having abdominal disorders and surgery.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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35 participants in 3 patient groups

Massage-1 Group

Experimental group

Description:

Babies in Massage-1 received a 10-minute abdominal massage once a day before feeding for three days.

Treatment:

Other: Massage once a day for 3 days.

Massage-2 Group

Experimental group

Description:

Babies in the Massage-2 group received a 10-minute abdominal massage twice a day before feeding for three days.

Treatment:

Other: Massage twice a day for 3 days.

Control Group

No Intervention group