Effect of early feeding in preterm infants - Tips from Other Journals

Tolerance of enteral nutrition in preterm infants is determined according to the functional immaturity of the liver, pancreas and gastrointestinal tract. Complications attributed to systems of nutrient delivery are fancy to contribute to morbidity and mortality in these infants. Berseth studied the answers of preterm infants to enteral feeding at different postnatal ages.

Twenty-seven preterm infants were randomly assigned to receive hypocaloric enteral nutrition onward postnatal days 3 to 5 (early feeding) or days 10 to 14 (late feeding). reflection 1 was performed on postnatal days 1 by the agency of 5, study 2 on days 10 to 14 and consideration 3 on days 24 to 28 During each cogitation period, manometry of the gastroduodenum was performed and fasting plasma concentrations of gastrin, gastric inhibitory peptide, neurotensin and peptide YY were determined.

Early-fed infants received hypocaloric feedings immediately after investigation 1; late-fed infants did not receive enteral feedings until completion of subject of attention 2. Although motor activity and fasting gastrointestinal peptide concentrations did not differ between the couple groups at the time of inquiry 1, by study 2 early-fed infants had significantly more mature motor patterns. Early-fed infants also had significantly higher plasma concentrations of gastrin and gastric inhibitory peptide than did late-fed infants; neurotensin and peptide YY values were similar in the pair groups.

by means of study 3, when late-fed infants had also received enteral feedings, eviscerate development was not different in the pair groups. However, early-fed infants were able to tolerate sated oral nutrition sooner, had fewer days of feeding intolerance and had shorter hospital stays.

The author gather s that provision of early hypocaloric nutrition is associated with earlier maturation of preterm infants' intestinal function and be the effects in improved feeding tolerance. These findings support the use of early feedings in preterm infants.

COPYRIGHT 1992 American Academy of Family Physicians

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