Gastrointestinal hormone and minimal enteral feeding in sick premature infants

Objective. To measure gastrointestinal hormonal response (GHR) with minimal enteral feeding (MEF) in sick premature infants. Methods. Forty-one babies birth weight <1800g receiving total parenteral nutrition or intravenous solutions entered the study. They were distributed in two groups: group 1:26 infants (early enteral feeding less than or equal to 5d) and group II = 15 infants (late enteral feeding = 10-14d). A diluted special formula was used as MEF starling with 1 mt hourly with daily increments of 1 mt up to 120 mt. Basal and final determinations of GHR were done before and after the MEF. Results. Both groups were similar in birth weight, postnatal age, and trophism. There were intragroup differences between basal and final GHR for all hormones in both groups. Subgroups by gestational age (less than or equal to 32 us > 32 weeks) and trophism (less than or equal to 1250 vs > 1250 g) also showed basal-final differences. There were no complications related to the MEF. Conclusions. MEF favors secretion of gastrointestinal hormones in sick premature infants. Early MEF seems to be preferable to late one since it allows a faster secretion related to volume of the formula. MEF did not increase abdominal complications in our infants.