For a study, researchers sought to determine whether starting small volume bolus feeds was more practical than starting oral or large volume(s) gavage feeds following surgery for congenital duodenal abnormalities. Single-center electronic medical records for all newborns with duodenal atresia and stenosis admitted to a university surgical centre between January 1997 and September 2021 were reviewed. The fast-fed group (FF) included newborns fed with oral or gavage feeds advanced at a rate of at least 2.5 ml/kg and then progressed more than once per day, in contrast to the slow-fed group (SF), which was fed with gavage feeds at incremental rates less than 2.5 ml/kg/day for each period of oral tolerance or by drip feeds. For each research cohort group, a maximum of 120–150 ml/kg/day of total feed was allowed. About 51 qualified patients in total, 25 in the SF group and 26 in the FF group, were enrolled in the study. There were statistically significant variations in the dates of the first oral feeds (POD 7.7±3.2 vs 16.1±7.7: P<0.001) and the first full feeds (POD 12.5±5.3 vs 18.8±9.7: P<0.01) between the FF and SF research groups. Oral or incremental gavage-fed rates of at least 2.5 ml/kg in stepwise increments and numerous steps per day are totally viable in the postoperative feeding plans of neonates with congenital duodenal abnormalities. These neonates can begin receiving full enteral nutrition earlier and leave the hospital with important health advantages.
Source: bmcpediatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12887-022-03524-7
