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Enteral feeding in duct-dependent congenital heart disease
T G Day1,2, D Dionisio1, D Zannino3
1Department of Cardiology, The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
Insights
Necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) is a serious condition in infants with congenital heart defects. This study found no increased risk of NEC in infants receiving prostaglandin E1 when given enteral nutrition.
Area of Science:
- Neonatalogy
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- Infants with duct-dependent congenital heart lesions require prostaglandin E1 infusion for treatment.
- Feeding strategies and the incidence of necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) in this vulnerable population are not well-defined.
- Investigating the potential link between enteral feeding and NEC is crucial for optimizing infant care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe feeding strategies in infants with duct-dependent congenital heart lesions.
- To determine the incidence of NEC in these infants.
- To assess the association between enteral feeding and NEC risk.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of infants diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, coarctation of the aorta, pulmonary atresia, or transposition of the great arteries.
- Exclusion of premature infants, those with pre-existing GI disease, and those not receiving prostaglandin.
- Univariable and multivariable logistic regression models for data comparison.
Main Results:
- A total of 177 infants were identified.
- 18 infants were diagnosed with suspected or confirmed NEC.
- No statistically significant association was found between enteral feeding and NEC (P = 0.9).
Conclusions:
- Enteral feeding does not appear to increase the risk of NEC in infants receiving prostaglandin E1.
- These findings support the use of enteral feeding in this patient group.
- Further research may explore optimal feeding protocols.
Background:
Infants with duct-dependent congenital heart lesions are treated with a prostaglandin E1 infusion. We aimed to describe the feeding strategies used at our institution in such infants, and to describe the incidence of necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) in this patient group, investigating whether enteral feeding is associated with a higher risk.
Methods:
Patients diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, coarctation of the aorta, pulmonary atresia, or transposition of the great arteries born over a defined period were identified. Premature infants, those with pre-existing gastrointestinal disease, and those who never received prostaglandin were excluded. Data were compared using univariable and multivariable logistic regression models.
Results:
A total of 177 patients were identified, of them 18 received a diagnosis of suspected or confirmed NEC. There was no association between the diagnosis of NEC and enteral feeding (P = 0.9).
Conclusions:
Based on these data, there does not appear to be an association between enteral feeding and NEC in infants receiving prostaglandin.
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