evaluation of the effect of intragastric tubing on vital signs of newborns at 1st hour post-partum

history and objectives: insertion of intragastric tube through nose in infants for evaluation of congenital abnormalities of nose, esophagus and stomach in early hours after birth can lead to some complications (bradycardia, apnea and/or cyanosis) as a result of the stimulation of receptors of pharynx. this study was carried out to determine the complications in javaheri hospital affiliated to islamic open university during the years 2000-2001. materials and methods: the clinical trial strategy of this study was carried out on 550 mothers and their infants. infants were randomly divided into case and control groups. in control group, after controlling vital signs intragastric tubing was performed using standard method within 15 min post-partum and its effect on heart rate, number of breaths and skin color were evaluated. in case group, vital signs were recorded without tubing twice with an interval of one min. results: heart rate in case group was 151.6±14.5 and 150±19.7 (a change of 1.1%) for the first and second measurement respectively. in control group, heart rate was 152.8±14 that increased to 155.3±15.8 after tubing (a change 1.6%). breath rate was 54.8±11.6 and 54.7±11.3 (a change of 0.2%) in case group for the first and second measurements respectively. in control group, breath rate was 53.6±10.8 that increased to 53.7±9.8 after tubing (a change of 0.2%). all of these differences were non-significant statistically. central cyanosis was observed in 3 infants of case group one min after first examination (1.1%). meanwhile, 7 infants had such a condition after tubing (2.6%). conclusion and recommendations: intragastric tubing could not affect the infantile vital signs during the first hour post-partum. it is recommended to evaluate the effect of duration of tubing on the development of complications.