Effect of Nicu Admission on Development and Nutrition in Early Childhood Years

Abstract

Admission rate to neonatal intensive care units (NICU) was considerably increased over the past few decades. Short-term outcomes had been enhanced, and mortality rates had decreased. However, the impact of advanced neonatal care interventions on long-term outcome of infants was not thoroughly reviewed. Objectives: the aim of this review is to investigate the effect of NICU admission on long-term developmental and nutritional outcomes in early childhood years. Methods: Medical database, particularly Medline and Cochrane Library were searched for studies, researches, and review articles about the long-term outcome of neonates who were admitted at neonatal intensive care unit, particularly from the nutritional and developmental perspectives. Results: Overall impact of NICU admission on long-term outcome is generally related to the etiological indication of admission; Hypoglycemia, tetanus, low birth weight, and prematurity had a negative impact on childhood development. Adequate nutrition and rapid growth velocity in NICU improved nutritional and physical development. Discussion: Long-term outcome of neonatal intensive care unit admission depends to a large degree on the etiology of admission. Adequate nutritional support at neonatal intensive care units had improved developmental and nutritional outcome of preterm and very preterm infants. Term and late term infants admitted at NICUs were not significantly different from their counterparts who were not admitted at NICUs on long-term outcomes. Conclusions: Admission at NICU is not an independent risk factor for poor nutritional or developmental outcome at early childhood years, but the etiological indication of NICU admission was more predicting. Early nutrition for low birth weight babies improved nutritional development.