Division of Neonatology, Institute for Maternal and Child Health, IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, Trieste, Italy.
Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2009 Nov;23(6):591-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3016.2009.01068.x.
Human milk has several advantages in the nutrition of very-low-birthweight (VLBW) infants. However, there are limited data on breast feeding (BF) in neonatal intensive care units (NICU). The aim of this study was to identify a practical definition of BF rate in VLBW infants and to test its applicability and reproducibility in Italian NICUs. The study population included all VLBW infants discharged from 12 level 3 NICUs, over a 12-month period. Type of feeding was recorded according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) definition, with a 72-h recall period. We enrolled 594 VLBW infants. Mean birthweight was 1105 g (SD: 267), mean gestational age was 29.2 weeks (SD: 2.7) and mean length of stay in NICUs was 62.5 days (SD: 56.5). At discharge, 30.5% of VLBW infants were exclusively breast fed, 0.2% were predominantly breast fed, 23.8% were on complementary feeding and 45.5% were exclusively formula fed. A wide variability in BF rates was seen between centres. Among exclusively breast-fed VLBW infants, only 10% sucked directly and exclusively at the breast. WHO definitions can be used to assess type of feeding at discharge from NICUs. We speculate that common feeding definitions may allow both comparisons among different NICUs and ratings of quality improvement programmes.
人乳在极低出生体重（VLBW）婴儿的营养方面具有多种优势。然而，关于新生儿重症监护病房（NICU）中母乳喂养（BF）的数据有限。本研究的目的是确定一种实用的 VLBW 婴儿 BF 率定义，并在意大利 NICU 中测试其适用性和可重复性。研究人群包括在 12 个月期间从 12 个 3 级 NICU 出院的所有 VLBW 婴儿。根据世界卫生组织（WHO）的定义记录喂养类型，并采用 72 小时回顾法。我们共纳入 594 名 VLBW 婴儿。平均出生体重为 1105 克（SD：267），平均胎龄为 29.2 周（SD：2.7），NICU 平均住院时间为 62.5 天（SD：56.5）。出院时，30.5%的 VLBW 婴儿为纯母乳喂养，0.2%的婴儿为主要母乳喂养，23.8%的婴儿为补充喂养，45.5%的婴儿为纯配方奶喂养。各中心的 BF 率差异很大。在纯母乳喂养的 VLBW 婴儿中，只有 10%的婴儿直接且仅通过母乳喂养。WHO 定义可用于评估从 NICU 出院时的喂养类型。我们推测，常见的喂养定义可能允许在不同的 NICU 之间进行比较，并对质量改进计划进行评分。
