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[Post-natal weight gain in the premature: the reference curves of Dancis (1948) can still be used]
M H Blond1, F Gold, L al Kadiry
1Service de médecine néonatale, centre de pédiatrie Gatien-de-Clocheville, Tours, France.
Insights
The 1948 Dancis growth curves remain valid for monitoring the post-natal growth of premature infants with appropriate birth weight for gestational age (GA). This study validated their continued use in neonatal care.
Area of Science:
- Neonatalogy
- Pediatric Growth Monitoring
- Evidence-Based Medicine
Context:
- Historical post-natal growth curves by Dancis et al. (1948) are still widely used in neonatal units.
- There is a need to validate the continued relevance of these established growth curves.
- Premature infants require accurate growth monitoring for optimal outcomes.
Purpose:
- To assess the validity of Dancis et al.'s post-natal growth curves for low birth-weight infants.
- To compare current infant growth data with historical benchmarks.
- To determine if updated curves are necessary for contemporary neonatal care.
Summary:
- Growth curves for infants born between 1250g and 2500g showed similarity to Dancis' curves.
- Data for infants weighing 1000g at birth was insufficient for analysis.
- The study included premature infants (gestational age < 37 weeks) without intrauterine growth retardation or severe post-natal disease.
Impact:
- Confirms the continued utility of Dancis' growth curves for appropriate weight-for-gestational age premature infants.
- Supports the use of historical growth data in current neonatal practice.
- Provides evidence for maintaining established clinical guidelines in neonatology.
Background:
Post-natal growth curves for low birth-weight infants published in 1948 by Dancis et al are still used in many neonatal units. The aim of this study is to determine whether these curves are still valid or not.
Population And Methods:
Thirty or more infants whose birthweights were 1000 +/- 125, 1250 +/- 125, 1500 +/- 125, 1750 +/- 125, 2000 +/- 125, 2250 +/- 125 and 2500 +/- 125 g were included in the study from September 1989 to September 1992. Inclusion criteria were: gestational age (GA) less than 37 weeks, absence of intra-uterine growth retardation, enteral feeding during the first post-natal week, absence of severe post-natal disease. The curves of weight were compared to those obtained by Dancis.
Results:
The six curves established for those infants having a birthweight from 1250 +/- 125 to 2500 +/- 125 g were quite similar to Dancis' curves. The number of infants weighing 1000 +/- 125 g at birth was not sufficient to be included in the study.
Conclusions:
The curves established by Dancis from low birth-weight infants of all types (including intra-uterine growth retardation) are still valid to follow post-natal growth of appropriate weight for GA premature infants.