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Early versus Late Trophic Feeding in Very Low Birth Weight Preterm Infants

Akram Sallakh-Niknezhad1, Fazileh Bashar-Hashemi, Niloofar Satarzadeh

  • 1Department of Midwifery, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.

Iranian Journal of Pediatrics
|October 12, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Early trophic feeding for preterm infants significantly reduces time to regain birth weight, duration of parenteral nutrition, and hospital stay. This approach supports improved outcomes for very low birth weight infants without increasing complications.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatalogy
  • Pediatric Gastroenterology
  • Perinatal Medicine

Background:

  • Improved survival of preterm infants necessitates optimized feeding strategies.
  • Trophic feeding offers benefits, but optimal timing for very low birth weight infants remains under investigation.
  • Early enteral nutrition is crucial for gut development and overall health in premature neonates.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the neonatal outcomes of early (<48 hours) versus late (>72 hours) trophic feeding in very low birth weight preterm infants.
  • To evaluate the impact of feeding initiation timing on key clinical parameters.
  • To provide evidence-based recommendations for enteral feeding management in preterm neonates.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort study involving 170 preterm infants (1000-1500g, 26-31 weeks gestation) was conducted.
  • Infants were divided into an early trophic feeding group (<48h) and a late trophic feeding group (>72h).
  • Outcomes assessed included time to regain birth weight, duration of parenteral nutrition, hospital stay, feeding intolerance, necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), and sepsis.

Main Results:

  • The early feeding group demonstrated significantly shorter time to regain birth weight (13.75 vs 20.53 days, P < 0.001).
  • Duration of parenteral nutrition (9.26 vs 14.11 days, P < 0.001) and hospital stay (12.14 vs 21.11 days, P < 0.001) were significantly reduced in the early group.
  • No significant differences in sepsis incidence or necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) were observed between the groups.

Conclusions:

  • Early trophic feeding (<48 hours) is associated with significant clinical benefits for preterm infants.
  • The findings support the routine use of early trophic feeding in very low birth weight preterm infants.
  • Early initiation of enteral feeding does not appear to increase the risk of major complications like NEC or sepsis.
Abstract

Keywords:
Parenteral NutritionPreterm InfantTrophic FeedingVery Low Birth Weight Infant

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