Simulated amniotic fluid-like solution given enterally to neonates after obstructive bowel surgeries: A randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: Withholding postoperative feeding is common in neonates recovering from surgeries for congenital abnormalities of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), which leads to prolonged exposure to total parenteral nutrition, intestinal atrophy, and feeding intolerance. Because amniotic fluid plays a significant role in fetal gut maturation and development, the aim of this study was to test a hypothesis suggesting that feeding tolerance could be improved in neonates recovering from surgeries for congenital obstructive bowel abnormalities by enteral administration of simulated amniotic fluid-like solution given enterally (SAFE) containing recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and erythropoietin.

Methods: This prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial was conducted with 40 late preterm/term neonates recovering from GIT surgeries.