Early Versus Late Minimal Enteral Feeding in Weeks Preterm Growth-Restricted neonates with Abnormal Antenatal Doppler...

Area of Science:

• Neonatalogy
• Perinatal Medicine
• Pediatric Gastroenterology

Background:

• Preterm and growth-restricted infants face high risks of feeding intolerance, necrotising enterocolitis (NEC), and poor postnatal growth.
• Abnormal antenatal Doppler studies in these infants indicate potential complications and necessitate careful feeding strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the incidence of NEC and feeding intolerance between early (day 2) and late (day 6) enteral feeding regimens.
• To assess the impact of feeding timing on clinical outcomes in preterm infants with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and abnormal Doppler findings.

Main Methods:

• Randomized controlled trial involving preterm infants (<37 weeks gestation) with birth weight below the 10th centile.
• Infants were allocated to either an early (commencing day 2) or late (commencing day 6) enteral feeding group.
• Outcomes measured included the incidence of NEC and feeding intolerance.

Main Results:

• A total of 133 infants were enrolled: 66 in the early feeding group and 67 in the late feeding group.
• No significant difference in the incidence of NEC was observed between the early and late feeding groups.
• Feeding intolerance rates were also comparable between the two feeding regimens.

Conclusions:

• Early minimal enteral feeding (MEF) initiated on day 2 in preterm infants with IUGR and abnormal antenatal Doppler findings does not appear to significantly reduce the incidence of NEC.
• The timing of initiating enteral feeding (early vs. late) did not significantly impact feeding intolerance in this high-risk neonatal population.