Approximately one half of VLBW (birth weight <1500 grams) infants are discharged from the hospital
with body weight at <10th percentile
Postnatal nutritional deficit in Very Low Birth Weight (VLBW) infants is associated with developmental delay and adult morbidities. Hospital teams participating in the Neonatal Nutrition Initiative worked to reduce the number of VLBW babies discharged with body weight less than the 10th percentile by increasing their growth after birth through evidence-based feeding protocols. These protocols have been shown to optimize the growth of VLBW infants and improve long-term health outcomes for these at-risk infants. The goal of this initiative is to improve the nutritional status of premature infants, particularly VLBW, by instituting early enteral feeding and TPN (total parenteral nutrition) supplementation when indicated. By standardizing the method of early nutrition with increased use of breast milk, appropriate use of TPN together with closely monitoring the growth parameters (weight, length, head circumference) at each NICU, we will try to achieve improvement in the growth pattern, therefore diminishing the number of extra-uterine growth restricted infants in Illinois.
Objectives:
1.
Reduce to below 40% the percentage of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants discharged from a
neonatal intensive-care unit (NICU) with weight <10th percentile.
Results:
1.
Hour of life when TPN started: reduced from 5 hours to less than 3 hours
2.
Hour of life when lipids started: reduced from 23 hours to less than 12 hours
3.
Age in days when first enteric feeding
started: reduced from 3.2 days to less
than 2.3 days
4.
Day of life when reaching 120ml/kg/day of enteral feeds: reduced from 15.2 to 14.4 days
