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Influence of nutrition on growth in premature infants: assessment by knemometry
D E Kaempf1, M S Pflüger, A M Thiele
1University of Heidelberg, Germany.
Insights
Preterm infant growth was assessed using knemometry. Both human milk and preterm formula supported comparable weight and lower leg length increments, with no correlation to feeding type.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal research
- Pediatric growth and development
Background:
- Assessing short-term growth in preterm infants is crucial for monitoring development.
- Knemometry offers a precise method for measuring lower limb length changes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate short-term growth patterns in preterm infants.
- To compare growth outcomes between infants fed fortified human milk and preterm formula.
Main Methods:
- 19 healthy preterm infants were studied.
- Lower leg length was measured daily using knemometry.
- Infant weight was recorded daily using a neonatal scale.
Main Results:
- Weight gain was linear in all infants.
- Lower leg length growth exhibited nonlinear patterns, including mini growth spurts and growth periods.
- Comparable weight gain and lower leg length increments were observed in both feeding groups.
- No correlation was found between nonlinear growth patterns and feeding type.
Conclusions:
- Fortified human milk and preterm formula support similar growth in preterm infants.
- Nonlinear growth patterns in lower leg length are common in preterm infants and independent of feeding type.
Abstract:
Lower leg length measurements in 19 healthy preterm infants were obtained by knemometry to assess short term growth. Eight infants received fortified human milk and 11 infants commercially available preterm formulas. Two independent observers measured lower leg length in each infant daily during the study period, weight was measured daily with a neonatal scale. While weight gain showed linearity in all infants, lower leg length growth showed mini growth spurts of 5 +/- 1.7 days, growth periods of 20 +/- 11 days or both types of short term growth. The overall weight gain was 35 +/- 5.6 g/day in infants fed human milk and 33 +/- 7 g/day in infants fed preterm formula. The overall lower leg length growth velocity was 0.51 +/- 0.04 mm/day versus 0.54 +/- 0.09 mm/day, respectively. Both groups had comparable weight and length increments. No correlation existed between the type of nonlinear lower leg length growth (mini growth spurts versus growth periods) and the feedings received by the infants.