Comparison of Early versus Late Trophic Feeding in Preterm Very Low Birth Weight Neonates at a Tertiary Care Hospital

Vollständiger Abstract

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Very low birth weight (VLBW) neonates are vulnerable to complications, and nutritional management is an essential determinant of their outcomes. Objective: To compare the neonatal outcomes in early trophic feeding (TF) versus late TF in preterm VLBW neonates. Methods: This randomized controlled trial was performed at the Department of Paediatrics, Nishtar Hospital, Multan, Pakistan, from June 2025 to December 2025. Sixty preterm VLBW neonates were selected through simple random sampling. Infants were randomized (30 in each group) into early TF (≤48 hours) or late TF (≥72 hours) groups. Feeding was given via orogastric tube using expressed breast milk or preterm formula, along with parenteral nutrition. Outcomes included incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), mortality, and hospital stay. Data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0, with p≤0.005 considered statistically significant. Results: In a total of 60 neonates, 35 (58.3%) were males, with a mean gestational age of 33.1 ± 2.1 weeks, and a birth weight of 1360.1 ± 67.2 grams, respectively. Overall, NEC occurred in 2 (3.3%), and mortality occurred in 4 (6.7%) neonates. The overall mean hospital stay was 15.4±1.9 days, significantly shorter with early feeding (13.0 ± 1.7 vs 19.3 ± 2.1 days, p