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Published on: July 28, 2022
Efficacy and Safety of Enteral Human Recombinant Insulin to Reduce the Time to Full Enteral Feeding in Preterm
Faiza Qudsia1, Muhammad Adil1, Maha Kamran1
1Department of Medicine, King Edward Medical University, Lahore 54000, Pakistan.
Insights
Enteral recombinant human insulin significantly speeds up gut maturation in preterm infants, reducing the time to full feeding. Further research is needed to confirm its safety and efficacy, especially at higher doses.
Area of Science:
- Neonatology
- Gastroenterology
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Recombinant human insulin is crucial for preterm infant gut maturation.
- Enteral administration is being explored for therapeutic benefits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the efficacy and safety of enteral recombinant human insulin.
- To determine its impact on the time to full enteral feeding in preterm infants.
Main Methods:
- Meta-analysis of four clinical trials.
- Data pooling to evaluate outcomes in preterm infants receiving enteral insulin.
Main Results:
- Significant reduction in time to full enteral feeding with both low and high doses of enteral insulin.
- Low dose: Mean difference -3.43 days (95% CI: -6.18 to -0.69).
- High dose: Mean difference -7.10 days (95% CI: -10.02 to -4.18).
Conclusions:
- Enteral recombinant human insulin effectively reduces time to full enteral feeding in preterm infants.
- Further large-scale trials are necessary to confirm efficacy and safety, particularly with supraphysiological doses.
Abstract:
Recombinant human insulin plays an important role in the gut maturation of preterm infants. This meta-analysis was carried out to assess the efficacy and safety of enteral recombinant human insulin in decreasing the time to full enteral feeding in preterm infants. The pooling of data from four clinical trials yielded a significant decrease in the time to full enteral feeding in preterm infants under both low (Mean difference [MD] -3.43 days; 95% CI: -6.18 to -0.69 days; I2 = 48%) and high doses of insulin (MD -7.10 days; 95% CI: -10.02 to -4.18 days; I2 = 0%). These findings require confirmation by further large trials that evaluate the efficacy and safety of enteral insulin, especially at supraphysiological doses.
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