Impact of Feeding Interval of Preterms on the Time of Transition From Tube Feeding to Oral Feeding
Condition: Bottlefeeding; Infant, Premature, Diseases
MeSH terms: Infant, Premature, Diseases
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Preterms are usually fed with intervals of either two or three hours during their stay in
      neonatal intensive care unit. Recommendations of World Health Organization about feeding
      regimens, 3-hourly for infants 1500 - 2000 gr, and 2-hourly for infants 1000 - 1500 gr, are
      not proposed with regards to results of randomized controlled trials. Investigators aimed to
      investigate the impact of 2-hourly feeding on time of transition from orogastric to oral
      feeding.
    

Detailed description: 
      Preterms are usually fed with intervals of either two or three hours during their stay in
      neonatal intensive care unit. Recommendations of World Health Organization about feeding
      regimens, 3-hourly for infants 1500 - 2000 gr, and 2-hourly for infants 1000 - 1500 gr, are
      not proposed with regards to results of randomized controlled trials.

      Stomach volume of preterms varies a wide range of upto 20 ml. This should be taken into
      consideration during the process of feeding of preterms in neonatal intensive care unit.
      Trials were focused on early neonatal outcomes and it was found that duration of phototherapy
      and nasal noninvasive ventilation, and time to achieve full enteral feeds were shorter during
      2-hourly feeding when compared to 3-hourly feeding, on the other hand 3-hourly feeding was
      shown to accelerate the stomach emptying. Besides, duration of catheterization, and ratio of
      feeding intolerance, apnea, and hypoglycemia were found to be similar infants who fed either
      2 or 3-hourly.

      Investigators aimed to investigate the impact of two feeding regimens, 2-hourly or 3-hourly,
      on time of transition from orogastric to oral feeding in preterms.

      Patients and Methods: Preterms of birth weight less that 1500 gr and gestational age smaller
      than 32 weeks are going to be eligible for study if no congenital anomalies exist. Regarding
      current clinical protocol infants are fed every 2 hours until they weigh 1500 gr, and every 3
      hours afterwards. At the day that the infants reach 1500 gr of body weight, a randomization
      will be performed in to two groups, Intervention group: Q2 interval (2-hourly feeding) or
      Control group: Q3 interval (3-hourly feeding), due to study protocol. Infants with inherited
      metabolic disorders, congenital anomalies, neonatal sepsis, and surgical diseases and the
      ones who fed with exclusively formula will be excluded.

      After randomization infants will be followed until discharge. The type of feeding, volume of
      each feed, weight gain per week, feeding intolerance (abdominal distention, vomiting, apnea,
      newly onset or increase of oxygen treatment demand), day of first oral feeding, time of
      transition from orogastric tube to oral feeding, duration of hospitalization will be
      recorded.
    

Intervention name(s): Q2 feeding
Intervention type(s): Other
Intervention description(s): Infants are going to be fed every 2 hours
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Supportive Care
Keywords: preterm; feeding; oral transition