[Effect of calorie-enriched formula on postoperative catch-up growth in infants with cyanotic congenital heart disease: a propective randomized controlled study]
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Hong-Mei Zhou1, Qiu Qiu1, Meng-Huan Yan1
1Congenital Heart Disease Center, Wuhan Asia Heart Hospital, Wuhan 430000, China.
Insights
Calorie-enriched formula significantly improves postoperative catch-up growth in infants with cyanotic congenital heart disease (CHD). This nutritional intervention leads to better weight and height outcomes compared to standard formula.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Nutritional Science
- Critical Care Medicine
Background:
- Cyanotic congenital heart disease (CHD) poses significant challenges to infant growth, particularly post-surgery.
- Malnutrition is a common comorbidity in infants with cyanotic CHD before and after surgical intervention.
- Effective nutritional strategies are crucial for optimizing recovery and growth in these vulnerable patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of calorie-enriched formula in promoting postoperative catch-up growth in infants with cyanotic CHD.
- To compare the growth parameters and nutritional status of infants receiving calorie-enriched formula versus standard formula after surgery.
- To assess the safety and adverse effects of calorie-enriched formula in this patient population.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial involving 100 infants with cyanotic CHD undergoing surgery.
- Infants were allocated to either a high-calorie (calorie-enriched formula) or conventional (standard formula) group.
- Growth indices (height, weight, Z-scores) and biochemical markers were monitored for 6 months post-surgery.
Main Results:
- Preoperative malnutrition rates were similar between groups (50% vs 42%).
- The calorie-enriched formula group demonstrated a significantly lower proportion of malnutrition (18% vs 36%) and improved weight-for-age Z-scores at 6 months post-surgery.
- Infants receiving calorie-enriched formula exhibited superior height-for-age, weight-for-age, and weight-for-height Z-scores compared to the conventional group, with no observed gastrointestinal intolerance.
Conclusions:
- Calorie-enriched formula is superior to standard formula for enhancing postoperative catch-up growth in infants with cyanotic CHD.
- This nutritional approach effectively improves anthropometric measurements and nutritional status in the long term.
- Calorie-enriched formula represents a safe and beneficial intervention for postoperative recovery in infants with cyanotic heart disease.
Objective:
To study the effect of calorie-enriched formula on postoperative catch-up growth in infants with cyanotic congenital heart disease (CHD).
Methods:
A total of 100 infants with cyanotic CHD who underwent surgical operation from January to December, 2017, were randomly divided into a high-calorie group (receiving calorie-enriched formula after surgery) and a conventional group (receiving standard formula after surgery), with 50 infants in each group. All infants were followed up for 6 months. The observation indices included body height, body weight, prealbumin, and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide before surgery, at the time of ventilator weaning and extubation after surgery, and at 1, 3, and 6 months after surgery. Height-for-age Z-score (HAZ), weight-for-age Z-score (WAZ), and weight-for-height Z-score (WHZ) were also assessed. Adverse reactions were recorded for both groups.
Results:
There were 25 cases (50%) and 21 cases (42%) of malnutrition in the high-calorie group and the conventional group respectively before surgery (P > 0.05). The nutritional status of the two groups improved 6 months after surgery (P < 0.05). At 6 months after surgery, compared with the conventional group, the high-calorie group had a lower proportion of infants with malnutrition (18% vs 36%, P < 0.05) and also a lower proportation of infants with a WAZ score of < -2 (P < 0.05). The infants with malnutrion in the high-calorie group had higher HAZ, WAZ, and WHZ than those in the conventional group (P < 0.05). No gastrointestinal intolerance was observed in both groups during hospitalization.
Conclusions:
Compared with the standard formula, calorie-enriched formula can better help with postoperative catch-up growth in infants with cyanotic CHD.
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