Early amino-acid administration improves preterm infant weight.

Area of Science:

• Neonatalogy
• Pediatric Nutrition
• Perinatal Medicine

Background:

• Premature infants, particularly those under 1500g, often experience suboptimal growth post-birth.
• Inadequate early nutritional support is a significant factor contributing to poor growth in these vulnerable infants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of early amino acid administration on growth outcomes in preterm infants weighing less than 1500g.
• To test the hypothesis that initiating amino acids within the first few hours of life reduces the incidence of infants falling below the 10th percentile at 36 weeks post-conceptual age.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study compared early amino-acid (EAA) supplementation (initiated before 24 hours) with a retrospective cohort receiving late amino-acid (LAA) supplementation (initiated after 24 hours).
• The primary outcome measured was the proportion of infants below the 10th percentile at 36 weeks post-conceptual age.

Main Results:

• Significantly fewer infants in the EAA group fell below the 10th percentile compared to the LAA group (P<0.001).
• EAA supplementation was associated with significantly greater infant weight gains (P<0.003) and a shorter duration of parenteral nutrition (P<0.001).

Conclusions:

• Early amino acid administration in preterm infants (<1500g) is linked to improved weight gain.
• Nutritional strategies including amino acids within the first 24 hours of life are crucial for optimizing growth in preterm neonates.