Beneficial effects of early hypocaloric enteral feeding on neonatal gastrointestinal function: preliminary report of a randomized trial.

In a prospective randomized trial, we studied the effects of early hypocaloric enteral feedings (PO) begun at 48 hours of age in 19 infants compared with 20 infants who received no enteral feedings (NPO) for at least the first 9 days of life. Both groups initially received the majority of their calories by parenteral alimentation. The groups were similar with respect to birth weight, gestational age, sex, Apgar score, and major neonatal diagnoses. The early enteral feeds proved to be significantly beneficial without an increased incidence of complications. The PO group reached full enteral feedings faster than the NPO group (31.2 vs 47.3 days). The PO group had a greater decline in serum bilirubin concentration over the first 2 weeks of life and spent less time under phototherapy (6.8 vs 9.5 days). Less cholestasis was observed among the PO infants (6.7% vs 33%), and peak direct bilirubin levels were also lower (0.7 vs 2.5 mg/dL). Osteopenia of prematurity, manifested by significantly lower alkaline phosphatase activity, was also decreased in the PO group, perhaps because of greater calcium intake during the first month among PO infants (1.3 vs 0.8 g). Compared with complete bowel rest, early onset of hypocaloric enteral feedings has beneficial effects on indirect hyperbilirubinemia, cholestatic jaundice, and metabolic bone disease of very low birth weight infants.