Intermittent Bolus or Semicontinuous Feeding for Preterm Infants?

Area of Science:

• Neonatal Nutrition
• Pediatric Gastroenterology

Background:

• Nasogastric tube feeding is crucial for low-birth-weight infants.
• Continuous (CON) and intermittent bolus (BOL) feeding are common methods.
• Optimal feeding strategy requires assessment of clinical benefits and risks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the clinical outcomes of semicontinuous versus intermittent bolus nasogastric tube feeding.
• To evaluate feeding tolerance, growth, and complications in preterm neonates.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving low-birth-weight infants (<1750 g, <32 weeks gestational age).
• Infants were assigned to either continuous (CON) or intermittent bolus (BOL) feeding.
• Primary endpoint: days to achieve full enteral feeding (120 mL/kg/day); secondary endpoints included feeding tolerance and complications.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in days to reach full enteral feeding between CON and BOL groups (7 vs 6 days).
• BOL feeding demonstrated significantly lower mean daily gastric residual volumes (3.9 mL/day vs 4.8 mL/day).
• Fewer feeding interruptions occurred in the BOL group (59 vs 76 patients).

Conclusions:

• Both continuous and bolus nasogastric feeding strategies are suitable for preterm neonates.
• Intermittent bolus feeding may be preferable due to reduced gastric residuals and feeding interruptions.