
Premature Infants Benefit from Dual Feeding
ApproachBy Jill Lee November 13, 1997Most pediatricians who deal with care of newborn babies suspect that
premature infants benefit from both intravenous and conventional feeding. Now,
scientists at the Childrens Nutrition Research Center (CNRC) in Houston have evidence--from a
study of baby pigs--to support this clinical practice. The study was led by CNRC physiologist Douglas G. Burrin. The CNRC is
cooperatively run by the USDAs
Agricultural Research Service and
Baylor College of Medicine. Premature infants are born with an immature digestive system and require
intravenous feeding. But without intestinal feeding, these infants
digestive systems will be underdeveloped by the time theyre ready to
nurse. Introducing intestinal feeding too quickly, however, can cause serious
complications and even death. Some newborn specialists, or neonatologists, work around the dilemma by
giving small volumes of food through the intestine while feeding intravenously.
Early testing suggested just a small amount of food could prepare the
developing intestine for a successful transition. USDA nutritionists and neonatologists used newborn pigs as a model of
pre-term infants to compare intravenous feeding alone with combined intravenous
and conventional feeding. They found that providing about 20-30 percent of
total intake through intestinal feeding is the optimal minimal requirement for
intestinal growth. This finding could have a significant impact on health care costs. Annually,
a quarter of a million U.S. infants are born prematurely. They spend an average
of 20 days on intravenous feeding. Previous medical studies show supplementing
with small amounts of intestinal feeding cuts that time to 15 days. Since
intravenous feeding costs about $2,500 daily, a 5-day reduction could save up
to $12,500 per infant, or $3 billion annually nationwide. But the infants would benefit most of all. Intravenous feeding, while
necessary, is linked to slow bone growth and infections. Supplementing with
intestinal feeding can improve weight gain, and shorten these infants
hospital stays. Infants with a more mature intestinal system tolerate feeding
better and will learn bottle feeding skills such as sucking and swallowing
faster. Scientific contact: Douglas G. Burrin, Childrens Nutrition
Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine, USDA, ARS, Houston, Texas, phone
(713) 798-7049; fax (713) 798-7098, [email protected] U.S. Department of Agriculture | |