Initiation Of Enteral Feeding Research Articles

Enteral Nutrition Therapy: Historical Perspective, Utilization, and Complications.

Enteral nutrition (EN) therapy can provide vital nutrition support for patients with various medical conditions as long as it is indicated and supported by ethical reasoning. This review seeks to offer a detailed account of the history of EN development, highlighting key milestones and recent advances in the field. Additionally, it covers common complications associated with EN and their management. After years of research and development, we have reached newer generations of enteral feeding formulations, more options for enteral tubes and connectors, and a better understanding of EN therapy challenges. Given the availability of many different formulas, selecting a feeding formula with the best evidence for specific indications for enteral feeding is recommended. Initiation of enteral feeding with standard polymeric formula remains the standard of care. Transition to small-bore connectors remains suboptimal. Evidence-based practices should be followed to recognize and reduce possible enteral feeding complications early.

Inadequate weight gain and factors influencing it among preterm neonates in neonatal intensive care units in the Amhara region, Ethiopia, in 2022.

Adequate weight gain is crucial for the health and development of preterm neonates admitted to neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Understanding the factors influencing weight gain in this vulnerable population is essential for improving outcomes. This study aimed to assess the weight gain status and associated factors among preterm neonates admitted to NICUs in specialized hospitals in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study design involving 363 preterm neonates admitted to NICUs in specialized hospitals within the Amhara region was used. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and the Kobo Tool Box. Daily weight measurements were recorded for three consecutive days. Descriptive statistics, logistic regression analysis, and graphical presentations were utilized for data analysis and presentation. The study revealed that a significant proportion (80.8%) of preterm neonates experienced poor weight gain during their NICU stay. The factors significantly associated with poor weight gain were older maternal age, delayed initiation of enteral feeding, lack of kangaroo mother care (KMC), and inadequate antenatal care visits. Addressing the identified factors, such as providing adequate support during the antenatal period, promoting a timely initiation of enteral feeding, and encouraging KMC practices, is crucial for improving weight gain outcomes in preterm neonates. The findings highlight the importance of a comprehensive approach to neonatal care targeting both maternal and neonatal factors. Policymakers and healthcare providers should prioritize interventions aimed at optimizing weight gain in preterm neonates to improve these neonates' overall well-being and long-term outcomes.

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) novel protocol for management of esophageal replacement in children: A single surgeon's experience of 116 cases

BackgroundPerioperative management of esophageal replacement is challenging due to significant disturbance in internal milieu of the body. To mitigate mediastinal dissection induced systemic inflammatory response, there is an unmet need to design and test a goal directed, resource conscious protocol for enhanced recovery, which will serve as a template to reduce morbid surgical complications and length of hospital stay. MethodsA retrospective cohort study was designed by convenience sampling method to group patients to compare outcomes of pediatric esophageal replacement using conventional protocol vs enhanced recovery after surgery novel protocol. Primary outcome measure was post-operative total length of stay in hospital. Secondary outcome measures were frequency of cardio-pulmonary complications, anastomotic leaks, infections, mortality, and initiation of early enteral jejunostomy feeding. ResultsA total of 116 children with corrosive esophageal injury [n = 21(19%)] and esophageal atresia [n = 95(81 %)] were analyzed in this study. Novel protocol group(n = 62) when compared to conventional protocol group (n = 54) had lower mean total length of stay days (13.05 ± 7.92 days vs.21.96 ± 6.5 days p < 0.0001), shorter mean ICU days (5.74 ± 4.16 days vs 7.13 ± 3.16 days; p ≤ 0.048) and Novel protocol group had lower cardiac [3/62 (5 %) vs 12/54(22 %) p = 0.012]; and pulmonary [4/62 (6.5 %) vs 13/54(24 %) p = 0.007] complications. Novel protocol group had lower mean days to initiation of enteral feeding (3.13 ± 0.71 vs 5.45 ± 0.75 days; p < 0.0001) and lower rates of post-operative infections [5/62(8 %) vs 18/54 (33 %); p = 0.001]. ConclusionsEnhanced recovery after surgery novel protocol has the potential to change clinical practice due to mitigation of major complications.

Analysis of the changes in the management of preterm newborns born in a Spanish third-level hospital in the past 10 years.

Preterm newborns require the use of the best and most current strategies to treat and prevent both acute pathology and associated sequelae. This study aimed to compare the differences in the management of preterm newborns over 10 years in a tertiary hospital in Spain and its impact on height, weight, and neurological development in the medium term. We conducted a retrospective, observational, and analytical study examining the management and clinical variables in preterm newborns under 32 weeks of gestational age who were born in our hospital in 2011 and 2021. Twenty-six newborns were included in the study. Significant differences in magnesium sulfate use, continuous positive airway pressure immediately after birth, and non-invasive mechanical ventilation during hospitalization were observed. Differences were found in the use of parenteral nutrition and the timing of initiation of enteral feeding. We did not observe differences in the neurological or weight evolution in the medium term. Significant differences in managing preterm newborns in these 10 years were observed. Lower mortality and alterations in central nervous system ultrasound and, significantly, less growth retardation during admission in 2021 have been observed; however, it does not manifest with improvement in long-term somatometrics or neurological prognosis.

Clinical Outcomes of Early Versus Late Enteral Nutrition Support in Critically Ill Trauma Patients With Isolated Traumatic Brain Injury.

This study aims to compare the impact of early initiation of enteral feeding initiation on clinical outcomes in critically ill adult trauma patients with isolated traumatic brain injuries (TBI). A retrospective cohort analysis of the American College of Surgeons Trauma Quality Program Participant Use File 2017-2021 dataset of critically ill adult trauma patients with moderate to severe blunt isolated TBI. Outcomes included ICU length of stay (ICU-LOS), ventilation-free days (VFD), and complication rates. Timing cohorts were defined as very early (<6hours), early (6-24hours), intermediate (24-48hours), and late (>48hours). 9210 patients were included in the analysis, of which 952 were in the very early enteral feeding initiation group, 652 in the early, 695 in intermediate, and 6938 in the late group. Earlier feeding was associated with significantly shorter ICU-LOS (very early: 7.82 days; early: 11.28; intermediate 12.25; late 17.55; P < .001) and more VFDs (very early: 21.72days; early: 18.81; intermediate 18.81; late 14.51; P < .001). Patients with late EF had a significantly higher risk of VAP than very early (OR .21, CI 0.12-.38, P < .001) or early EF (OR .33, CI 0.17-.65, P = .001), and higher risk of ARDS than the intermediate group (OR .23, CI 0.05-.925, P = .039). Early enteral feeding in critically ill adult trauma patients with moderate to severe isolated TBI resulted in significantly fewer days in the ICU, more ventilation-free days, and lower odds of VAP and ARDS the sooner enteral feeding was initiated, with the most optimized outcomes within 6hours.

Multicentre positive deviance seminar to generate best practice recommendations to reduce anastomotic leak and length of stay for patients undergoing oesophagectomy

BackgroundWe describe a novel process using positive deviance (PD) with the Canadian Association of Thoracic Surgeons members, to identify perioperative best practice to minimise anastomotic leak (AL) and length of...

A Retrospective Cohort Study of Traumatic Brain Injury in Children: A Single-Institution Experience and Determinants of Neurologic Outcome

Abstract Introduction Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has become a significant cause of death and morbidity in childhood since the elucidation of infectious causes within the last century. Mortality rates in this population decreased over time due to developments in technology and effective treatment modalities. Aim of the study This retrospective cohort study aimed to describe the volume, severity and mechanism of all hospital-admitted pediatric TBI patients at a university hospital over a 5-year period. Material and Methods This was a single-center, retrospective cohort study including 90 pediatric patients with TBI admitted to a tertiary care PICU. The patients’ demographic data, injury mechanisms, disease and trauma severity scores, initiation of enteral nutrition and outcome measures such as hospital stay, PICU stay, duration of mechanical ventilation, mortality, and Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) were also recorded. Late enteral nutrition was defined as initiation of enteral feeding after 48 hours of hospitalization. Results Of the 90 patients included in the cohort, 60% had mild TBI, 21.1% had moderate TBI and 18.9% had severe TBI. Their mean age was 69 months (3–210 months). TBI was isolated in 34 (37.8%) patients and observed as a part of multisystemic trauma in 56 (62.2%). The most commonly involved site in multisystemic injury was the thorax (33.3%). The length of hospitalization in the late enteral nutrition group was significantly higher than that in the early nutrition group, while the PICU stay was not significantly different between the two groups. The multiple logistic regression analysis found a significant relationship between GOS-3rd month and PIM3 score, the presence of diffuse axonal injury and the need for CPR in the first 24 h of hospitalization. Conclusion Although our study showed that delayed enteral nutrition did not affect neurologic outcome, it may lead to prolonged hospitalization and increased hospital costs. High PIM3 scores and diffuse axonal injury are both associated with worse neurologic outcomes.

Real-world evidence regarding the growth of very premature infants with small for gestational age after birth: a multicenter survey in China

BackgroundTo analyze the real-world growth pattern of very premature infants (VPI) with small for gestational age (SGA) after birth by using the ΔZ value of weight at discharge.MethodsThe clinical data were collected from 28 hospitals in China from September 2019 to December 2020. They were divided into the EUGR(Extrauterine Growth Restriction) and the non-EUGR group according to the criterion of ΔZ value of weight at discharge < –1.28.ResultsThis study included 133 eligible VPI with SGA. Following the criterion of ΔZ value, the incidence of EUGR was 36.84% (49/133). The birth weight, the 5-min Apgar score, and the proportion of male infants in the EUGR group were lower (P < 0.05). The average invasive ventilation time, cumulative duration of the administration of antibiotics, blood transfusion time, blood transfusion ratio, and total days of hospitalization were significantly higher in the EUGR group (P < 0.05). In the EUGR group, several factors exhibited higher values (P < 0.05), including the initiation of enteral feeding, the volume of milk supplemented with human milk fortifier (HMF), the duration to achieve complete fortification, the cumulative duration of fasting, the duration to achieve full enteral feeding, the length of parenteral nutrition (PN), the number of days required to attain the desired total calorie intake and oral calorie intake, as well as the age at which birth weight was regained. The average weight growth velocity (GV) was significantly lower in the EUGR group (P < 0.001). The incidences of patent ductus arteriosus with hemodynamic changes (hsPDA), neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) stage≥ 2, late-onset sepsis (LOS), and feeding intolerance (FI) in the EUGR group were higher (P < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that birth weight, male, and GV were the protective factors, while a long time to achieve full-dose fortification, slow recovery of birth weight, and NEC stage ≥2 were the independent risk factors.ConclusionSGA in VPI can reflect the occurrence of EUGR more accurately by using the ΔZ value of weight at discharge. Enhancing enteral nutrition support, achieving prompt and complete fortification of breast milk, promoting greater GV, reducing the duration of birth weight recovery, and minimizing the risk of NEC can contribute to a decreased occurrence of EUGR.Trial registrationCHICTR, ChiCTR1900023418. Registered 26/05/2019, http://www.chictr.org.cn.

Nutritional Strategies to Optimize Outcomes among Infants with Congenital Heart Disease.

Growth failure is common among infants with congenital heart disease (CHD), affecting approximately half of all infants with CHD. Achieving good growth is difficult secondary to both cardiac and noncardiac factors that affect energy expenditure and nutritional intake. Growth failure is associated with poor outcomes, including mortality, prolonged length of hospital stay, delayed cardiac surgery, postoperative complications, and neurodevelopmental delay. Clinical practice varies widely when it comes to how nutrition is managed in these infants, with varying approaches to enteral feeding initiation, advancement, and discontinuation. This variation persists despite several practice guidelines that have been created in recent years to guide nutritional care. Standardized feeding protocols have been proven to reduce growth failure and improve outcomes for this patient population. Centers and clinicians should be encouraged to adopt existing guidelines, or create their own from evidence-based literature, to improve growth and outcomes for infants with CHD.

Evidence based – Enteral feeding algorithm for Neurosurgery ICU/Ward

Enteral feeding is a procedure that is in practice internationally by nurses. Providing enteral feeding to the patients is an art and science of nursing that follows careful steps and principles. Nurses role is not only confined to administering enteral feed but also of educating, giving instructions to the family members, directing caregivers and significant others regarding initiating and maintaining enteral feeding, so that continuity of nutritional care is maintained even in the home setting. Once the patient is admitted in neurosurgical ICU, hemodynamic stability of the patient is utmost important, as hemodynamic instability of the patient may preclude the safe initiation of EN in the critical care patients. Initial stabilization is the key for patient survival followed by maintenance therapy like drugs, mobilization, position, continuous monitoring and nutrition. For determining the need of enteral feeding especially for neurosurgical and neurological patients three things should be given utmost importance i.e. Swallowing deficit, Unconsciousness (Level of consciousness) and Nutritional requirement. Can be easily remembered as pneumonic SUN.Confirming tube position is one of the critical step in effective enteral feeding practice in spite of that it has given least importance. It is recommended to confirm the tube position immediately after ryles’ tube insertion through radiologic methods which may be not feasible sometimes, therefore bedside methods can also be adopted Auscultation methods and Aspiration method are the most widely used method among all the bed side methods for confirming tube placement. Gastric residual volume is the amount aspirated from the stomach following administration of the enteral feed. An aspirate among of less than 500ml in 4-6 hours or less than 50% of last enteral feed is safe and indicates that GIT is functioning. Most patients nicely tolerate enteral feeding via gastric tube while few patients has delayed gastric emptying and high GRVs as a result of sedation, pain medications, hypothermia, decreased movement and the effect of being critically ill. Intolerance of enteral feeding is defined as more than 500ml or more than 50% of last enteral feeding. Though enteral feeding is the most popular procedure for ICU Nursing officer, but it is the most crucial in terms of deciding patient outcome. Effective enteral feeding requires through knowledge of initiation and maintenance of enteral feeding. Thus, this article propose simple algorithm to follow. Effectively delivering nutrition to the patient requires the help of dietitian and physician/surgeon to deal with its challenges that comes along with this golden feeding technique.

Neonatal surgical mortality and morbidity at the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali, a tertiary university hospital in Rwanda: analysis of predicting factors

INTRODUCTION: Globally, high morbidity and mortality is associated with neonatal surgicalconditions. This study aimed to determine the factors influencing the mortality in neonates withsurgical conditions at Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Kigali (CHUK).METHOD: This was a prospective study from October 2019 to March 2020. Analysis of patientswas divided based on a diagnosis of gastroschisis versus non-gastroschisis conditions. Odds ratioswere calculated at a confidence interval of 95%. Factors with p-value &lt;0.05 on bivariate analysiswere considered.RESULTS: Eighty-two neonates were enrolled. 45.1% were admitted within the first 24 hours of life,61% were males, 26.9% were preterm, and 51.2% had birth weight less than 2500g. Gastroschisis(n=43, 52.4%) was the most common diagnosis, followed by intestinal atresia (12.2%). The overallmortality rate was 57%. Mortality was more likely to occur among neonates with gastroschisiscompared to neonates with non-gastroschisis surgical conditions (76.7% vs 35.9%, OR=5.893,p&lt;0.001). Among neonates with gastroschisis, factors associated with mortality were the failureof initiation of enteral feeding (100%, p=0.002) and sepsis (82.5%, p=0.001).Among neonates with non-gastroschisis surgical conditions, factors associated with mortalitywere prematurity (87.5%, OR:24, p=0.001), low birth weight (72.7% vs 21.4%, p=0.003), initiationof enteral feeding at more than 48 hours (33.3% vs 25.8%, p=0.006), sepsis (64.7% vs 13.6%,OR:11.61, p&lt;0.001), and need of mechanical ventilation (63.6% vs 25%, OR:5.25, p=0.024,).CONCLUSION: Neonatal surgical mortality is still a burden and has many predicting factors.Improvement and advocacy are needed to reduce neonatal mortality.

Importance of Asprosin for Changes of M. Rectus Femoris Area during the Acute Phase of Medical Critical Illness: A Prospective Observational Study

Asprosin, a new adipokine, is secreted by subcutaneous white adipose tissue and causes rapid glucose release. The skeletal muscle mass gradually diminishes with aging. The combination of decreased skeletal muscle mass and critical illness may cause poor clinical outcomes in critically ill older adults. To determine the relationship between the serum asprosin level, fat-free mass, and nutritional status of critically ill older adult patients, critically ill patients over the age of 65 receiving enteral nutrition via feeding tube were included in the study. The patients' cross-sectional area of the rectus femoris (RF) of the lower extremity quadriceps muscle was evaluated by serial measurements. The mean age of the patients was 72 ± 6 years. The median (IQR) serum asprosin level was 31.8 (27.4-38.1) ng/mL on the first study day and 26.1 (23.4-32.3) ng/mL on the fourth study day. Serum asprosin level was high in 96% of the patients on the first day, and it was high in 74% on the fourth day after initiation of enteral feeding. The patients achieved 65.9 ± 34.1% of the daily energy requirement for four study days. A significant moderate correlation between delta serum asprosin level and delta RF was found (Rho = -0.369, p = 0.013). In critically ill older adult patients, a significant negative correlation was determined between serum asprosin level with energy adequacy and lean muscle mass.

The Role of Pretransplant Infections in Pediatric Receiving LDLT in Indonesia: A 7-y Retrospective Study.

This is an observational, retrospective cohort study. A total of 56 children were recruited between April 2015 and May 2022. Patients were categorized into 2 according to the presence of pretransplantation infections requiring hospitalization before the surgery. Diagnosis of posttransplantation infection was observed for up to 1 y based on the clinical features and laboratory parameters. The most common indication for LDLT was biliary atresia (82.1%). Fifteen of 56 patients (26.7%) had a pretransplant infection, whereas 73.2% of patients were diagnosed with a posttransplant infection. There was no significant association between pretransplant and posttransplant infection in all 3-time points (≤1 mo, 2-6 mo, and 6-12 mo). The most common organ involvement posttransplantation was respiratory infections (50%). The pretransplant infection did not significantly affect posttransplant bacteremia, length of stay, duration of mechanical ventilation, initiation of enteral feeding, hospitalization cost, and graft rejection. Our data showed that pretransplant infections did not significantly affect clinical outcomes in post-LDLT procedures. A prompt and sufficient diagnosis and treatment before and after the LDLT procedure is the best way to obtain an optimal outcome.

Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy Placement in Trauma Patients: Early vs Delayed Initiation of Enteral Feeding.

In critically ill trauma patients, adequate nutrition is essential for the body's healing process. Currently, there is no clinical standard for initiating feeds after percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube placement. We aimed to demonstrate that early enteral nutrition (EN) is as safe as delayed EN in patients who have undergone PEG tube insertion. We conducted a multi-center, retrospective cohort study of 384 patients from the Prisma Health Trauma Registries who received PEGs. Feeding intolerance was defined as high gastric residuals, nausea, emesis, sustained diarrhea, or ileus. The probability that a patient would experience intolerance was 11.7% in those fed within 6hours, 5.1% among patients fed between 6 and 12hours, 6.0% among patients fed between 12 and 24hours, and 7.6% among patients fed after 24hours, for which no statistically significant difference was detected. These findings support that early EN after PEG placement is safe in critically ill, trauma patients.

Hemodynamically stable very low birth neonates weight gain is affected by the early initiation of full enteral feedings compared to standard feeding.

Premature babies need to develop similarly to fetuses of the same gestational age. The majority of premature neonates experience a growth-restricted status while in the patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). Extrauterine growth failure is a significant barrier for infants with very low birth weight (VLBW). The study was conducted for six months at the Neonatology Unit, Department of Pediatrics, Coimbatore Medical College Hospital, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. Neonates with VLBW who met the inclusion criteria were assigned randomly to one of two feeding strategies, that is, full enteral feeding or partial feeding, based on the randomization sequence discovered by opening the sealed cover. The duration of stay, weight variation, neonatal variables, feeding intolerance, necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), septicemia, apnea, newborn hyperbilirubinemia, PDA, hypoglycemia, intracranial bleeding, and mortality of neonatal recruits were all carefully evaluated. Two thousand two hundred eighty-four neonates were hospitalized throughout the six-month trial period, and 408 had low birth weight. Three hundred forty-two babies were eliminated from the study due to hemodynamic instability, persistent respiratory distress, infections, metabolic issues, and congenital abnormalities. Sixty-six babies met the study's inclusion criteria, and thus participated in the study. Sixty-six newborns weighed between 1.251 and 1.500 kg. Randomly assigning intervention and control groups. Thirty-three newborns were assigned to group A (intervention) and another 33 to group B (control). The study concluded that enteral feeding was effective, inexpensive, secure, and feasible. Early full enteral feeding reduced septicemia and infant hyperbilirubinemia. Thus, we must start enteral feeding as soon as possible to avoid inadequate nutrition in neonates with VLBW during a crucial growth period.

Comparison of laparoscopic and open simultaneous surgeries for synchronous metastases of colorectal cancer in the liver: meta-analysis

Aim. To analyze studies focused on comparing laparoscopic and open simultaneous surgeries for synchronous metastases of colorectal cancer in the liver.Materials and methods. The electronic databases PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, Cochrane Library were searched for the studies focused on the comparison of open and laparoscopic simultaneous surgeries for synchronous metastatic liver lesions, dated till October 20, 2020. Keywords: simultaneous resections, colorectal cancer, liver metastases, simultaneous laparoscopic.Results. Meta-analysis contains the results of 1211 simultaneous surgeries for simultaneous metastases of colorectal cancer in the liver: 450 laparoscopic and 761 open surgeries. Laparoscopic surgery was characterized with lower blood loss [weighted mean difference (WMD) = -131.77, 95% CI: -232.54 to -31.00, p = 0.01], a shorter postoperative hospitalization [WMD = -2.87, 95% CI: -3.41 to -2. 33, p &lt; 0.00001], early first bowel movement [WMD = -0.99, 95% CI: -1.40 to -0.58, p &lt; 0.0001], early initiation of enteral feeding [WMD = -1.20, 95% CI: -2.06 to -0.33, p = 0.007]), lower incidence of postoperative complications [OR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.46–0.80, p = 0.0004]. A statistically significant advantage of laparoscopic access was established in overall [OR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.64–0.99, p = 0.04] and recurrence-free survival [OR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.60–0.89, p = 0.002].Conclusion. Perioperative and distant oncologic outcomes demonstrate safety and efficacy of laparoscopic simultaneous interventions for synchronous metastases of colorectal cancer in comparison with open interventions.

Effect of early initiation of enteral nutrition on short-term clinical outcomes of very premature infants: A national multicenter cohort study in China

ObjectivesThe management of enteral nutrition in very preterm infants (VPIs) is still controversial, and there is no consensus on the optimal time point after birth at which enteral nutrition can be started. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of early initiation of enteral nutrition on the short-term clinical outcomes of VPIs. MethodsData of infants (n = 2514) born before 32 wk of gestation were collected from 28 hospitals located in seven different regions of China. Based on whether enteral feeding was initiated within or after 24 h since birth, the infants were divided into an early initiation of enteral feeding (EIEF) group and a delayed initiation of enteral feeding (DIEF) group. ResultsCompared with the DIEF group, the EIEF group was more likely to tolerate enteral nutrition and had less need for parenteral nutrition (all P < 0.05). The EIEF group was associated with lower incidence rates of feeding intolerance, extrauterine growth restriction (EUGR), and late-onset sepsis (LOS) (all P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) (Bell stage ≥2) between the two groups (P = 0.118). The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that EIEF was a protective factor against EUGR (odds ratio [OR], 0.621; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.544–0.735; P < 0.001), feeding intolerance (OR, 0.658; 95% CI, 0.554–0.782; P < 0.001), and LOS (OR, 0.706; 95% CI, 0.550–0.906; P = 0.006). ConclusionsEarly initiation of enteral feeding was associated with less frequency of feeding intolerance, EUGR, and LOS, and it may shorten the time to reach total enteral feeding without increasing the risk of NEC.

Impact of Donor Human Milk in an Urban NICU Population.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the use of donor human milk in infants when mother's own milk is not available. Our objective was to analyze whether the use of donor human milk in preterm, very-low-birth-weight (VLBW, &lt;1500 g) infants affected the rates of necrotizing enterocolitis, duration of parenteral nutrition (PN), growth, culture-positive sepsis, length of hospital stay, and mortality in an urban NICU population with low exclusive breast-feeding rates. A retrospective cohort study was conducted comparing two 2-year epochs of VLBW neonates before and after the introduction of donor breast milk in our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). With the introduction of donor human milk, there was a significant reduction in the rate of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) (5% vs. 13%; p = 0.04) and less severe NEC as defined by Stage III based on the Modified Bell Staging Criteria (10% to 3%; p = 0.04). In the donor milk era, there was earlier initiation of enteral feeding (2.69 days vs. 3.84; p = 0.006) and a more rapid return to birthweight (9.5 days. 10.9 days; p = 0.006). In this study, a change in practice to the use of donor breast milk in a population with low rates of human milk provision was associated with earlier initiation of enteral feeding, faster return to birth weight, and a reduced incidence of NEC.

Dilemmas in feeding infants with intestinal failure: a neonatologist's perspective.

Intestinal failure in neonatal and pediatric populations can be debilitating for patients and difficult to manage for clinicians. Management strategies include referral to an intestinal rehabilitation center, small volume trophic feeds to stimulate the intestine with cautious advancement of enteral nutrition using a standardized and evidence-based feeding protocol, and supplemental parenteral nutrition to optimize an infant's growth and nutrition. In this review, we discuss the causes of intestinal failure, parenteral nutrition strategies, enteral feeding initiation and advancement protocols, as well as the challenges in feeding an infant with intestinal failure.

Early Enteral Nutrition with High-Protein Whey Peptide Digestive Nutrients May Improve Prognosis in Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Patients

Background and Objectives: Nutritional management in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) during the acute phase is important; however, there is no proper evidence or recommendations on the appropriate nutrients for early enteral nutrition. This study compared the influence the two different tube-feeding liquid diets for early enteral nutrition might have on the prognosis of patients with SAH. Materials and Methods: In a seven-year period, this single-center retrospective study included 245 patients with aneurysmal SAH who underwent craniotomy and aneurysm neck clipping and received enteral nutrition. The patients were divided into two groups according to the nutrient received: (1) high-protein whey peptide oligomeric formula diet (oligomeric group, 109 patients); and (2) high eicosapentaenoic acid-containing polymeric formula diet (polymeric group, 136 patients). The modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at discharge was evaluated as the primary outcome. The presence or absence of diarrhea (watery stool and mushy stool) during the period from initiation of enteral nutrition to discharge from the stroke unit was also evaluated. Results: There were no significant differences in patient characteristics between groups. The time until initiation of enteral feeding in the oligomeric and polymeric groups was 2.8 ± 2.3 and 2.9 ± 2.2 days, respectively. The proportion of patients with mRS scores of 0–1 was significantly higher in the oligomeric group (25.7%) than in the polymeric group (14.7%) (p = 0.036), while the incidence of watery stool was significantly lower in the oligomeric group (15.8% to 34.3% in the polymeric group) (p = 0.003). Multivariate analyses confirmed that the oligomeric diet and the presence or absence of diarrhea significantly affected the mRS scores. Conclusions: The adoption of early enteral nutrition with high-protein whey peptide digestive nutrients might be associated with superior mRS scores at discharge and decreased diarrhea in patients with SA, indicating that the choice of nutrients might affect the outcome and prognosis.