Does High Protein Intake During First Week of Life Improve Growth and Neurodevelopmental Outcome at 18 months Corrected Age in Extremely Preterm Infants?

Objective: To examine whether high protein intake during the first week of life alters the growth and neurodevelopmental outcomes at 18 mo corrected age (CA) in preterm infants born < 29 wk.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of preterm infants (<29 wk) before and after introduction of nutritional policy targeting higher protein intake during the first week of life. The authors compared the growth and neurodevelopmental outcomes at 18 mo CA between infants born before (epoch 1) and after (epoch 2) the introduction of nutrition policy.