Abstract:
Object: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of high glucose intake as a component of total parenteral nutrition on the recovery of birth weight in extremely low birth weight (BW) infants.
Methods: This prospective study enrolled 60 infants born between January 2023 and January 2024 at ... Hospital with a birth weight < 1500 g, who were randomly assigned to either the control group or the experimental group. Both groups received an identical total parenteral nutrition regimen. The control group (n=30) received a standard level of glucose intake, providing 7-14 g/kg/d 10% glucose water, while the experimental group (n=30) received a high-sugar nutrition regimen, providing 9-18 g/kg/d 12.5% glucose water. The primary outcome measure was the rate of weight improvement during the treatment period in both groups, as well as the time required for infants to regain normal birth weight from their initial weight at birth. The secondary outcome measure was the duration of respiratory support needed by patients.
Results: There were no significant differences in baseline demographic characteristics between the two groups. Both groups had gestational ages ranging from 28-34 weeks, with a median age of 31 weeks. The average birth weight in the control group was measured at 1250g±380g, while it was recorded as 1295g±310g in the experimental group. There was no statistically significant difference observed between these two groups (p>0.05). Infants in the experimental group demonstrated faster recovery to normal BW compared to those in the control group (15.86±3 .12 vs 18 .92 ±3 .07 d, P=0 .031), and also required less respiratory support(6 .28 ± 2 .05 vs8 .23 ±3 .56 d, P=0 .008).
Summary: Providing high sugar nutrition to extremely low BW infants can expedite the recovery process of BW and shorten intensive care unit stays while reducing the risk of medical-related infections.
Keywords: extremely low birth weight infants, birth weight regain, aggressive parenteral nutrition, glucose
