A standardized nutrition approach for very low birth weight neonates improves outcomes, reduces cost and is not associated with increased rates of necrotizing enterocolitis, sepsis or mortality.

OBJECTIVE: To assess how a standard practice for nutrition support in very low birth weight (VLBW) neonates would impact on their hospital course.

STUDY DESIGN: This was a prospective, single center, before vs after comparison of a non-standardized approach to nutrition in VLBW neonates to a standardized approach. Standardization of feeding initiation, feeding volume and caloric advancement, management of feeding aspirates (residuals), use of starter parenteral nutrition (PN), use of breast milk and donor breast milk, initiation and discontinuation of intravenous (IV) intralipids, documentation of protein use, and utilization of percutaneously inserted central venous catheters were performed. Multiple outcome measures were evaluated. Fisher's exact, Mann-Whitney U-tests and χ(2) tests were used for statistical analysis.

RESULT: Sixty-nine infants in the pre-standardization (non-standardized) group were compared with 154 infants in the standardized approach group. Analysis was performed for each group as a whole. Statistically significant improvements were seen in multiple areas for the standardized group including the day of life birth weight was regained (P<0.0005), use of breast milk as the initial feeding (P<0.0001), use of starter PN on admission (P<0.0001), earlier time for initiation of PN (P<0.0001), decreased use of PN overall (P<0.0001), enteral protein use (P<0.0001), earlier time for initiation of IV intralipids (P<0.002), day of life for full enteral feeds (P<0.0005) and first day for initiation of enteral feeds (P<0.0001). Fewer infants born microcephalic at birth remained so at discharge in the standardized group as compared with the pre-standardized group (P<0.02). Similarly, less infants born small for gestational age at birth remained so at discharge in the standardized group as compared with the pre-standardized group (P<0.05). Two cases of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) occurred in the pre-standardization group and one in the standardized group. No coagulase-negative Staphlococcal infections or line infections occurred during the entire study period. Two cases of sepsis occurred in the pre-standardization group, both in infants <750 g. No cases of sepsis occurred in the standardized group. Cost savings were remarkable from decreased PN usage in the standard group.

CONCLUSION: Implementation of a standardized approach to nutrition in VLBW infants reduces the use of PN thereby reducing cost, causes a more rapid regain of birth weight, decreases the number of babies that are small for gestational age and microcephalic at discharge, and decreases the time to full enteral feeds. No adverse increases in mortality, sepsis, NEC, coagulase-negative Staphlococcal infections or line infections occurred.