[Nutritional support of premature newborn infants with birthweight below 1.500 g]

Area of Science:

• Neonatalogy
• Pediatric Nutrition
• Intensive Care

Context:

• Premature infants often require specialized nutritional support due to immature digestive systems.
• Early and adequate nutrition is critical for the growth and development of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants.
• Traditional feeding methods may not always meet the complex nutritional demands of extremely preterm neonates.

Purpose:

• To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a combined parenteral and enteral nutrition strategy in preterm infants.
• To assess weight gain and biochemical parameters in VLBW infants receiving combined nutritional support.
• To determine the feasibility of continuous enteral feeding with a chemically defined diet in conjunction with parenteral nutrition.

Summary:

• Sixteen preterm infants (gestational age 27-31 weeks, birthweight 738-1390 g) received parenteral nutrition for 12 days, followed by continuous nasogastric enteral feeding with a chemically defined diet until 35 weeks postconceptional age.
• All infants tolerated the combined feeding regimen well, with no significant side-effects reported.
• The study observed satisfactory weight gain (9-22 g/day) and no significant blood biochemical abnormalities in the participating neonates.

Impact:

• This combined nutritional approach appears safe and effective for promoting growth in preterm infants.
• The findings support the use of integrated parenteral and enteral nutrition as a viable strategy in neonatal intensive care.
• Further research could explore long-term outcomes and optimal nutrient delivery within this combined feeding model.