[Profile of parenteral nutrition prescription in very low birth weight infants: period 2006 to 2010].

INTRODUCTION

Early administration of nutrients in adequate amounts is of vital importance to preterm infants because it decreases the time needed to reach the expected weight and tolerate enteral nutrition as well as reducing their hospital stay. The main objective of this study was to analyze the prescription of parenteral nutrition (PN) in patients weighing less than 1,500 g at birth in their first 7 days of life during the years 2006-2010 in our hospital and the adequacy of those requirements to the recommendations.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Amino acids, glucose, lipids (g/ kg/day) and calories (kcal/kg/day) prescribed in the PN of the first week of life were collected.

RESULTS

We studied 1899 parenteral nutrition prescriptions from 2006 to 2010 corresponding to the first week of life of 360 patients weighing less than 1,500 g. The caloric content increased from an average of 41.83 kcal/kg/day (1.89 g/kg/ day of amino acids and 0.69 g/kg/day lipids) on the first day of life to 80.61 kcal/kg/day (3.2 g/kg/day of amino acids and 2.4 g/kg/day of lipids) on the seventh day. About 70% of prescriptions for the children who had PN on the first day of life contained lipids. But when all children who had PN on the fourth day were considered, only 17% of these patients had lipid intake on the first day of life. No prescription exceeded 120 kcal/kg/day. Only 17.9% on the sixth day and 25.5% on the seventh day received more than 90 kcal/kg/day. In our hospital PN is not prepared on Sundays and holidays. 30.1% and 56.9% of children born on weekdays received PN the first and second day versus 11.6% and 38.8% of those born on a holiday or the day before holiday.

CONCLUSIONS

A high percentage of premature babies do not get the recommended amounts of nutrients in their first week of life in our hospital.