EC Paediatrics

Objective: To compare the mean hospital stay and number of days to gain pre-specified weight of early versus late trophic feeding in very LBW preterm neonates presenting in a tertiary care hospital.

Materials and Methods: This randomized clinical trial was conducted in department of Pediatric Medicine, Services Hospital, Lahore from 30-4-2019 to 30-10-2019. Sixty children fulfilling the inclusion criteria were included in the study and were randomly divided in two groups by simple lottery method. In group A, neonates received enteral feeding within the first 48 hours after birth. In group B, neonates received enteral feeding after 72 hours of birth. Time taken to achieve normal birth weight of particular gestational age was noted. Total hospital stay was also observed till discharge of neonate. Data was collected on a standardized proforma. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 20.

Results: In early feeding group, the mean age of neonates was 25.43 ± 13.99 hours. In late feeding group, the mean age of neonates was 25.17 ± 11.08 hours. In early feeding group, there were 17 (56.7%) male and 13 (43.3%) female neonates. In late feeding group, there were 14 (46.7%) male and 16 (53.3%) female neonates. In early feeding group, the mean time to achieve optimal weight was 12.47 ± 1.85 days. In late feeding group, the mean time to achieve optimal weight was 20.63 ± 2.81 days. In early feeding group, the mean hospital stay was 13.27 ± 1.70 days. In late feeding group, the mean hospital stay was 22.13 ± 2.70 days. The difference is statistically significant (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: It is concluded that early trophic feeding of very LBW preterm neonates will be more helpful in attaining optimal weight as well as reducing hospital stay as compared to late feeding group.

 Keywords: Hospital Stay; Early Feeding; Late Feeding; Trophic Feeding; Very Low Birth Weight; Preterm Neonates

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