Impact of Standardized Feeding Guidelines on Enteral Nutrition Administration, Growth Outcomes, Metabolic Bone Disease, and Cholestasis in the NICU

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to determine whether the implementation of standardized feeding guidelines (SFGs) in a neonatal intensive care unit had an impact on the administration of enteral nutrition, growth, and bone and liver health. This was a retrospective chart review of infants ≤ 32 weeks' gestation and ≤ 1500 g at birth who received enteral nutrition either via traditional care (TC) or via SFGs. The outcomes of the study were to determine the day of life the first enteral feedings were started, the day of life full, fortified enteral feedings were established, the day of life the infant returned to birth weight, the change in weight z score from birth to day of life 30, and the presence of metabolic bone disease and cholestasis. There were 128 infants in the TC group and 125 infants in the SFG group. Based on the Cox regression, no significant differences were found between the 2 groups in the length of time to the first feed (P=0.110; CI 1.03-1.70), in the length of time to full, fortified enteral feedings (P=0.334; CI 0.87-1.44), in the length of time to return to birth weight (P=0.545; CI 0.77-1.28), incidence of metabolic bone disease (P=0.990), or incidence of cholestasis (P=0.926). This study provides preliminary evidence that SFGs have an effect on enteral nutrition administration, growth, and morbidity for preterm infants. Although the findings were not statistically significant, they are clinically relevant.