Enteral feeding in duct-dependent congenital heart disease.

BACKGROUND: Infants with duct-dependent congenital heart lesions are treated with a prostaglandin E1 infusion. We aimed to describe the feeding strategies used at our institution in such infants, and to describe the incidence of necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) in this patient group, investigating whether enteral feeding is associated with a higher risk.

METHODS: Patients diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, coarctation of the aorta, pulmonary atresia, or transposition of the great arteries born over a defined period were identified. Premature infants, those with pre-existing gastrointestinal disease, and those who never received prostaglandin were excluded. Data were compared using univariable and multivariable logistic regression models.

RESULTS: A total of 177 patients were identified, of them 18 received a diagnosis of suspected or confirmed NEC. There was no association between the diagnosis of NEC and enteral feeding (P = 0.9).

CONCLUSIONS: Based on these data, there does not appear to be an association between enteral feeding and NEC in infants receiving prostaglandin.