Effect of Massage and Stimulation of Zusanli Combined with Amino Acid Intravenous Infusion on the Growth and Development of Preterm Infants

doi:10.16458/j.cnki.1007-0893.2025.06.014

Abstract：Objective: To investigate the effect of massage combined with stimulation of Zusanli on the growth and development of preterm infants when used in conjunction with amino acid intravenous infusion. Methods: A total of 80 preterm infants hospitalized at Nanning Red Cross Hospital from July 2022 to December 2023 were selected as the study subjects and randomly divided into a control group and an observation group, each with 40 cases. The control group received amino acid intravenous infusion, while the observation group received additional massage and stimulation of Zusanli on top of the treatment in the control group. The growth and development indicators [length, weight, head circumference], nutritional and recovery times, and blood biochemical nutrition indicators [hemoglobin (HB), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), prealbumin (PA), albumin (ALB)] were compared between the two groups at 1 hour after birth and 3 months after birth. Results: Three months after birth, the length, weight, and head circumference of both groups were higher than those at 1 hour after birth, and the values in the observation group were higher than those in the control group, with statistically significant differences (P < 0.05). The intravenous nutrition time, time to regain birth weight, time to achieve full enteral nutrition, and hospitalization time of the observation group were shorter than those of the control group, with statistically significant differences (P < 0.05). Three months after birth, the levels of HB, MCV, MCH, PA, and ALB in both groups were higher than those at 1 hour after birth, and the levels in the observation group were higher than those in the control group, with statistically significant differences (P < 0.05). The total incidence of nutrition-related complications in the observation group (2.50%) was lower than that in the control group (20.00%), with statistically significant differences (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The application of massage combined with stimulation of Zusanli and amino acid intravenous infusion in the management of preterm infants shows significant effects, which can promote the growth and development of preterm infants, shorten the recovery time, improve their nutritional status, and reduce the risk of complications.