Abstract

FARFAN-CRUZ, Guillermo  and  VELASCO-BENITEZ, Carlos Alberto. Weight gain following nutritional support in a neonatal intensive care unit. rev.fac.med. [online]. 2014, vol.62, suppl.1, pp.41-49. ISSN 0120-0011.  https://doi.org/10.15446/revfacmed.v62n3sup.40899.

Background. Fasting in the new-born leads to a deterioration of their nutritional status and stunts their short- and long-term growth. Objective. Determining weight gain in the critically-ill newborn without oedema following parenteral nutrition (PN). Materials and methods. This cross-sectional observational study involved 110 critically-ill full-term and preterm newborn from both genders being treated by Social Security in Bucaramanga, Colombia. They received central or peripheral parenteral nutrition. Data was obtained concerning gender, gestational age, weight, grams/kg/day of carbohydrate, protein and fat, kcal/kg/day baseline and final days of parenteral nutrition and underlying pathology. Statistical analysis included measures of central tendency and position, frequencies, univariate and bivariate tests, comparing means and medians and Chi Square and Fisher tests (0.05 level of significance). Results. The study included 63 full-term newborn and 47 preterm newborn whose main diagnosis was necrotising enterocolitis (40 newborn: 36.4%). The average by the end of parenteral nutrition was 1.3g/kg/day protein and 2.5g/kg/day fat. Base to final weight increased by 14.2g/day and statistically significant differences were recorded regarding progression from baseline to final weight in full-term newborn (p=0.015) and preterm newborn (p=0.000) and even for those weighing < 1,500 g (p=0.000) and those between 1,500 and 2,500 g (p=0.004). Conclusions. The nutritional status of all critically-ill newborn receiving PN (at lower doses than those currently recommended) from the first day of life improved, this being measurable by daily weight variation/gain.

Keywords : Weight Gain; Intensive Care Units; Infant; Newborn.

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