Feeding Intolerance and Poor Growth in Infants with Gastroschisis: Longitudinal Experience with Consecutive Patients over Thirteen Years

Authors

  • Saloni Balgi Southern Illinois University School of Medicine
  • Sarita Singhal University of Buffalo School of Medicine
  • Georgia Mueller Southern Illinois University School of Medicine
  • Beau Batton Southern Illinois University School of Medicine

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47338/jns.v4.456

Keywords:

Gastroschisis, Growth, Enteral nutrition, Preterm infant

Abstract

Objectives: 1) To investigate in-hospital factors associated with delayed tolerance of full volume enteral nutrition and 2) To assess longitudinal growth in a contemporary population of infants with gastroschisis.

Design: Retrospective single-center study of all infants with gastroschisis

Setting: Level III neonatal intensive care unit in a free-standing Children’s Hospital

Duration: 13.5 years

Materials & Methods: Detailed data regarding demographics, nutritional support, growth, and infant outcomes was collected for all infants with gastroschisis. Linear regression was used to investigate in-hospital factors associated with feeding intolerance and poor growth.

Results: For 52 infants, the median gestational age at birth was 36 weeks, the median postnatal age to achieve full feeds was 22 days, and median in-hospital weight gain was 18 gm/day. With linear regression, there was a positive association between time to full feeds and both hospital length of stay (adjusted R2=0.503, p<0.0001) and (unexpectedly) in-hospital weight gain (adjusted R2=0.125, p=0.0248). There was a negative association between in-hospital weight gain and preterm birth (adjusted R2=0.125, p=0.0356). For infants with longitudinal growth data, 35% had a weight <5th percentile (of whom 67% were preterm).

Conclusions: Many infants with gastroschisis have poor growth before and after hospital discharge. Aggressive feeding advancement may be a contributing factor to this finding and preterm infants may be at greater risk for poor growth than term infants.

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Author Biographies

Saloni Balgi, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine

Department of Pediatrics

Sarita Singhal, University of Buffalo School of Medicine

Department of Pediatrics

Georgia Mueller, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine

Department of Statistics & Epidemiology

Beau Batton, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine

Associate Professor of Pediatrics

Chief, Division of Neonatology, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine

Director, Newborn Services at St. John’s Children’s Hospital

Co-Director, IDPH South Central Illinois Perinatal Network

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Published

2015-10-04

How to Cite

1.
Balgi S, Singhal S, Mueller G, Batton B. Feeding Intolerance and Poor Growth in Infants with Gastroschisis: Longitudinal Experience with Consecutive Patients over Thirteen Years. J Neonatal Surg [Internet]. 2015Oct.4 [cited 2025Feb.14];4(4):42. Available from: https://jneonatalsurg.com/index.php/jns/article/view/456