The effects of assisted autogenic drainage, combined or not with bouncing on gastroesophageal reflux in infants

AIM: This study aimed to determine the effect of assisted autogenic drainage (AAD) with or without bouncing (BAAD) on both acid and non-acid gastroesophageal reflux (GER) in infants <1 year.

METHODS: During a 24-hour multichannel intraluminal impedance-pH monitoring (MII-pH), infants were treated with a 20 minutes intervention of AAD (in supine position) or BAAD (in upright position), two hours postprandial. In this controlled trial with intra-subject design, the number of reflux episodes (REs) was the primary outcome measure. The results during AAD and BAAD were compared to a baseline period before intervention and 20 minutes after intervention.

RESULTS: Fifty infants were included in both groups. During AAD a significant decrease of RE's was found compared to baseline (P= 0.001). No significant differences were found in the BAAD group compared to baseline (P=0.125).

CONCLUSION: AAD and BAAD do not cause or increase GER in infants under the age of one year.