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Commencing Nutrient Supplements before Full Enteral Feed Volume Achievement Is Beneficial for Moderately Preterm to

Wei Qi Fan1,2, Amy Gan3, Olivia Crane4

  • 1Department of Paediatrics, The Northern Hospital, 185 Cooper Street, Epping, VIC 3076, Australia. weiqi.fan@nh.org.au.

Nutrients
|September 23, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Early nutrient supplementation for low birth weight (LBW) babies improves protein intake and reduces feeding intolerance. This feeding protocol change helps LBW infants achieve better nutritional outcomes and faster weight regain.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal Nutrition
  • Pediatric Gastroenterology
  • Infant Growth and Development

Background:

  • Low birth weight (LBW) infants, particularly those born between 31 and 39 weeks' gestation, often require specialized nutritional support.
  • Optimizing nutrient delivery is crucial for improving growth and reducing complications in preterm and LBW neonates.
  • Current feeding protocols may not fully address the early nutritional needs of these vulnerable infants.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the impact of an earlier introduction of nutrient supplements on nutritional outcomes in LBW infants.
  • To compare the effects of initiating nutrient supplements at 80 mL/kg/day versus 160 mL/kg/day total fluid intake.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective observational study involving LBW infants (31–39 weeks' gestation) in a Special Care Nursery.
  • Infants were divided into two groups based on the initiation of nutrient supplements: F80 (at 80 mL/kg/day) and F160 (at 160 mL/kg/day).
  • Key outcomes assessed included weight changes, protein intake, biochemical markers, feeding intolerance, and length of stay (LOS).

Main Results:

  • The F80 group commenced nutrient supplements significantly earlier (2.8 vs. 6.7 days) and had higher mean protein intake during the first 10 days (3.38 vs. 2.74 g/kg/day).
  • Fewer infants in the F80 group had protein intake below 3 g/kg/day (8% vs. 65%), and they regained birth weight nearly two days sooner (7.5 vs. 9.4 days).
  • The F80 group showed a reduced incidence of feeding intolerance (24.4% vs. 47.6%) with no adverse outcomes reported.

Conclusions:

  • Earlier initiation of nutrient supplementation in LBW infants significantly enhances protein intake above 3 g/kg/day.
  • This feeding strategy effectively reduces the duration of post-birth weight loss and decreases the incidence of feeding intolerance.
  • The findings support a revised feeding protocol for LBW infants to improve early nutritional status and clinical outcomes.

Keywords:
EBMLBWSCBUSCNblood ureahuman milk fortificationlate pretermmoderately pretermpreterm formula

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