Enteral feeding in very-low-birth-weight infants. A comparison of two nasogastric methods.

Nutritional benefits and feeding-related complications were prospectively compared in 53 preterm very-low-birth-weight infants receiving isoenergetic feeding by either the continuous nasogastric (n = 30) or intermittent nasogastric (n = 23) route. Stepwise regression techniques were used to develop models relating feeding-associated factors. Feeding method significantly affected weight gain in infants 1000 to 1249 g birth weight with continuous nasogastric feeding associated with an additional weight gain of 3.6 to 6.1 g/kg/d. No effects of feeding method on changes in occipitofrontal circumference, triceps skin-fold thickness, bilirubin values, or total protein values were demonstrable. There were few major differences between feeding groups on measures of feeding complications. Continuous nasogastric feeding was fairly well tolerated and resulted in improved weight gain when compared with intermittent nasogastric feeding in preterm infants 1000 to 1249 g birth weight.