Comparing outcomes of slow versus rapid feeding in premature neonates hospitalized in Al-Zahra hospital, Rasht

Background: one of the leading clinical problems for premature neonates especially with very low birth weight is the type and amount of feeding. The authors aimed to compare outcomes of slow versus rapid feeding in premature neonates hospitalized in Al-Zahra hospital, Rasht. Methods: This is a clinical trial that was conducted on 62 premature neonates aged less than 35 weeks of gestation who were referred to Al-Zahra Hospital from April 2015 to April 2016. They weighed 1000-2000 gr at birth. Samples were randomly assigned to intervention or control groups. The intervention included neonatal feeding with breast milk or formula with feeding advancement of 30 cc/kg/day which was compared with the routine method of slow feeding (20 cc/kg/day). Neonates were assessed until discharge or the occurrence of Necrotizing enterocolitis. Data were reported by descriptive statistics including mean, standard deviation, frequency, and percent, and analyzed by independent samples t-test and chi-square test in SPSS software, version 22 (IBM SPSS, Armonk, NY, USA). Results: All 62 patients finished the study including 31 neonates weighing 1000-2000 gr at birth in the intervention group and 31 neonates weighing 1000-2000 gr at birth in the control group. Neonates in the intervention group reached to full milk feeding of 150 cc/kg/day sooner (6.06±1.34 versus 9.45±2.39), return to birth weight faster (9.89±3.57 versus 12.9±6.46), had a lower duration of needing parenteral fluids (5.10±1.61 versus 8.86±3.81), and had a lower duration of hospitalization (9.97±4.03 versus 16.87±9.13) compared to controls. Results showed that there was no necrotizing enterocolitis in the intervention and control groups. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that initiating feeding by 30 cc/kg/day method shortened the duration of access to intravenous line and hospitalization and caused sooner discharge. Also, no adverse complication was noted. Therefore, it seems that further investigations assessing these methods can be help manage preterm neonates.