Standardizing Feeding Strategies in Moderately Preterm Infants.

Area of Science:

• Neonatology
• Pediatric Nutrition
• Clinical Protocol Implementation

Background:

• Moderate preterm infants (29-33 6/7 weeks gestational age) require optimized feeding strategies.
• Standardizing feeding advancements and considering donor breast milk (DBM) are crucial for improving clinical outcomes.

Approach:

• A retrospective study compared clinical outcomes before and after implementing a standardized feeding protocol for moderate preterm infants (>1500g).
• The protocol standardized feeding advancements to 30 mL/kg/day, with infants <33 weeks receiving DBM.
• Data on central venous line (CVL) placement, feeding tolerance, growth, and maternal breast milk (MBM) provision were collected.

Key Points:

• The number of CVLs and MBM provision remained unchanged between the pre- and post-protocol implementation periods.
• A narrower range in days to achieve full enteral volume (FEV) was observed post-implementation.
• Growth metrics were comparable across both study periods.

Conclusions:

• Implementing a standardized feeding protocol for moderate preterm infants is associated with more consistent achievement of FEV.
• The use of DBM in this population, with appropriate monitoring and fortification, does not appear to be linked to adverse growth outcomes.