Progression of Enteral Feeding Volumes in Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants in the "Connection Trial".

Objective: Investigate daily feeding volumes and their association with clinical variables in the early postnatal care of premature infants of the "Connection Trial."

Study Design: A total of 641 infants of 510 to 1,000-g birth weight (BW, mean: 847 g) and mean 27 weeks' gestational age at birth (GA) were analyzed for total daily enteral (TDE) feeding volumes of 10, 20, 40, 80, and 120 mL/kg/d and their association with 24 clinical variables. Uni- and multivariable Cox regression models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals as a measure of the chance of reaching each of the TDE volumes.

Disrupted Maturation of the Microbiota and Metabolome among Extremely Preterm Infants with Postnatal Growth Failure.

Growth failure during infancy is a major global problem that has adverse effects on long-term health and neurodevelopment. Preterm infants are disproportionately affected by growth failure and its effects. Herein we found that extremely preterm infants with postnatal growth failure have disrupted maturation of the intestinal microbiota, characterized by persistently low diversity, dominance of pathogenic bacteria within the Enterobacteriaceae family, and a paucity of strictly anaerobic taxa including Veillonella relative to infants with appropriate postnatal growth.

Improved survival and neurodevelopmental outcomes among extremely premature infants born near the limit of viability.

Background: Infants born near the limit of viability are at high risk for death or adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. It is unclear whether these outcomes have improved over the past 15 years.

Aim: To determine if death and neurodevelopmental impairment have declined over the past 15 years in infants born at 22 to 24 weeks' gestation.

Early administration of oropharyngeal colostrum to extremely low birth weight infants.

Background: Human milk reduces morbidities in extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants. However, clinical instability often precludes ELBW infants from receiving early enteral feeds. This study compared clinical outcomes before and after implementing an oropharyngeal colostrum (COL) protocol in a cohort of inborn (born at our facility) ELBW infants.