[Principles of nutritional support of critically ill premature infants]

Area of Science:

• Neonatology
• Pediatric Nutrition
• Growth and Development

Background:

• Premature infants, particularly very low birthweight (VLBW) neonates, face significant nutritional challenges.
• Optimizing growth and development in VLBW infants is critical for long-term health outcomes.
• Breast milk is the ideal nutrition, but often requires fortification for premature neonates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of a breast milk fortifier (Friso) in VLBW infants.
• To compare outcomes between VLBW infants receiving fortified breast milk versus exclusive breastfeeding.
• To assess the impact on physical development, biochemical parameters, and healthcare resource utilization.

Main Methods:

• A study involving 27 VLBW infants without congenital malformations, assessed at 36 weeks post-conception age.
• Comparison of infants receiving Friso-fortified breast milk against those on exclusive breastfeeding.
• Monitoring of product tolerability, blood biochemical markers, physical developmental indices, and duration of respiratory support and intensive care unit (ICU) stay.

Main Results:

• Fortifier supplementation significantly improved physical development indices, including body weight and head/chest circumferences, within the first month of life.
• Energy-rich feeding regimens were associated with a reduced length of ICU stay.
• Parenteral feeding duration was also decreased with optimized energy feeding output.

Conclusions:

• Friso breast milk fortifier effectively enhances physical development in VLBW infants during early life.
• Optimized energy provision through feeding strategies can shorten ICU stays and reduce reliance on parenteral nutrition.
• These findings support the use of breast milk fortification for improving outcomes in premature neonates.