Generating longitudinal growth charts from preterm infants fed to current recommendations
- 25 May 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by BMJ in Archives of Disease in Childhood: Fetal & Neonatal
- Vol. 105 (6), 646-651
- https://doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2019-318404
Abstract
Objective To use repeated measurements of weight, length and head circumference to generate growth centile charts reflecting real-world growth of a population of very preterm infants with a well-described nutritional intake close to current recommendations. Design Infants born before 30 weeks gestational age (GA) were recruited. Infants received nutrition according to an integrated care pathway, with nutrient intake recorded daily, weight recorded twice-weekly and length and head circumference weekly. The LMS method was used to construct growth centile charts between 24 and 36 weeks corrected GA for each parameter. Setting A single tertiary neonatal unit in England. Patients 212 infants (124 male) (median GA at birth: 27.3 weeks, median birth weight: 900 g). Results Median daily energy, protein, carbohydrate and fat intake were within 3% of published recommendations. The total number of measurements recorded was 5944 (3431 for weight, 1227 for length and 1286 for head circumference). Centile charts were formed for each parameter. Data for male and female infants demonstrated similar patterns of growth and were pooled for LMS analysis. A web application was created and published (bit.ly/sotongrowth) to allow infants to be plotted on these charts with changes in SD score of measurements reported and graphically illustrated. Conclusions These charts reflect growth in a real-world cohort of preterm infants whose nutrient intakes are close to current recommendations. This work demonstrates the feasibility of forming growth charts from serial measurements of growing preterm infants fed according to current recommendations which will aid clinicians in setting a benchmark for achievable early growth.Funding Information
- NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre
This publication has 19 references indexed in Scilit:
- ‘Catch-up’ growth of infants with IUGR does not significantly contribute to the whole-cohort weight gain patternArchives of Disease in Childhood: Fetal & Neonatal, 2019
- Early postnatal growth failure in preterm infants is not inevitableArchives of Disease in Childhood: Fetal & Neonatal, 2018
- Nutrition Practices and Predictors of Postnatal Growth in Preterm Infants During HospitalizationJournal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, 2018
- Successfully implementing and embedding guidelines to improve the nutrition and growth of preterm infants in neonatal intensive care: a prospective interventional studyBMJ Open, 2017
- Do We Need Another Set of Growth Charts for Premature Infants?PEDIATRICS, 2016
- Postnatal growth standards for preterm infants: the Preterm Postnatal Follow-up Study of the INTERGROWTH-21 st ProjectThe Lancet. Global Health, 2015
- Extrauterine growth restriction: is it preventable?Jornal de Pediatria, 2014
- Birth weight and longitudinal growth in infants born below 32 weeks’ gestation: a UK population studyArchives of Disease in Childhood: Fetal & Neonatal, 2013
- A systematic review and meta-analysis to revise the Fenton growth chart for preterm infantsBMC Pediatrics, 2013
- Preterm Birth and Body Composition at Term Equivalent Age: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysisPEDIATRICS, 2012