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Postoperative nutrition of neonates undergoing heart surgery

L Rosti1, T Vivaldo, G Butera

  • 1Department of Pediatric Cardiology and Heart Surgery, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, San Donato Milanese, Italy. luca.rosti@gmail.com

La Pediatria Medica E Chirurgica : Medical and Surgical Pediatrics
|March 21, 2012
PubMed

Insights

For newborns undergoing heart surgery, human milk (HU) supports growth rates comparable to specialized starting (SF) and preterm formulas (PF). This suggests human milk is a viable option for postoperative infant nutrition.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal surgery
  • Pediatric cardiology
  • Nutritional science

Background:

  • Postoperative nutrition for newborns undergoing heart surgery (HS) lacks clear guidelines.
  • Congenital heart defects (CHDs) present unique nutritional challenges in neonates.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare postoperative growth rates in neonates with CHDs fed human milk (HU), starting formula (SF), or preterm formula (PF).
  • To evaluate the impact of different feeding strategies on growth following heart surgery.

Main Methods:

  • A study involving 122 newborns undergoing heart surgery (81 corrective, 41 palliative).
  • Infants were fed either HU, SF (67 kcal/100 mL), or PF (80 kcal/100 mL).
  • Growth rates were analyzed, including subgroups based on surgery type and cardiopulmonary bypass use.

Main Results:

  • No significant differences in postoperative growth rates were observed between neonates fed HU, SF, or PF.
  • Growth rates were similar regardless of whether infants underwent corrective or palliative surgery.
  • Cardiopulmonary bypass status did not affect growth rate differences between feeding groups.

Conclusions:

  • Human milk (HU) supports comparable postoperative growth rates to specialized formulas in neonates undergoing heart surgery.
  • The findings suggest human milk is a suitable nutritional option, potentially due to its unique properties benefiting intestinal mucosa.
  • These results can inform evidence-based nutritional protocols for infants with CHDs post-surgery.
Abstract

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