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Gastric emptying in infants with congenital heart disease
Insights
Infants with congenital heart disease show delayed gastric emptying of formula, impacting growth. This study highlights slower digestion in these infants compared to healthy ones.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Neonatology
- Cardiology
Background:
- Congenital heart disease (CHD) can affect infant physiology.
- Growth failure and heart failure are common complications in infants with CHD.
- Altered gastric emptying may contribute to poor nutritional outcomes in these infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate gastric emptying patterns and rates in infants with CHD.
- To compare gastric emptying in infants with CHD to healthy infants.
- To assess the relationship between gastric emptying and growth in infants with CHD.
Main Methods:
- Marker dilution technique used to measure gastric emptying.
- Study included 8 infants (1 week to 5 months) with CHD.
- Gastric emptying patterns (linear vs. biphasic) were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Significantly reduced amounts of formula emptied at 1 and 2 hours in infants with CHD compared to healthy controls.
- Gastric emptying followed a linear pattern in 5 infants and a biphasic pattern in 2.
- Data suggests delayed gastric emptying in infants experiencing heart failure or growth failure.
Conclusions:
- Infants with congenital heart disease exhibit significantly slower gastric emptying.
- Delayed gastric emptying may be a contributing factor to failure to thrive in infants with CHD.
- Further research is warranted to explore interventions for improving gastric emptying in this population.
Abstract:
Gastric emptying of infant formula using a marker dilution technique was studied in 8 infants with congenital heart disease aged 1 week to 5 months. Six infants were in heart failure and 4 failed to grow. Gastric emptying followed a linear pattern in 5 and a biphasic pattern with an initial slow phase in 2 infants. The amounts of meal emptied after 1 and 2 hours, 14.7 and 31.0 ml per 0.1 m2 of body surface area, respectively, were significantly smaller than the corresponding amounts found in a group of healthy infants.