Minimal enteral nutrition during neonatal hypothermia treatment for perinatal hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy is safe and feasible.
AIM
The safety and efficacy of enteral feeding during hypothermia treatment following hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy has not been studied before, resulting in variations in practice. Our study compared the benefits and safety of both early minimal and delayed enteral feeding during hypothermia treatment.


METHODS
Our retrospective cohort study, from January 2009 to December 2011, compared a Swedish cohort, who received early enteral feeding during hypothermia, and a UK cohort, who received delayed enteral feeding.


RESULTS
In Sweden (n = 51), enteral feeds were initiated at a median of 23.6 h and full oral feeding was achieved at 9 days (range 3-23). In the UK (n = 34), the equivalent figures were 100 h and 8 days (range 3-13) (p = 0.01). Both groups achieved enteral feeding at a median 6 days. The median length of hospital stay was 13 days in Sweden and 10 days in the UK (p = 0.04). More babies were fully breastfeeding or breastfed and bottle-fed at discharge in Sweden (85%) than the UK (67%) (p = 0.08). There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding adverse events.


CONCLUSION
Early minimal enteral feeding during hypothermia proved feasible, with no significant complications. Delayed enteral feeding did not affect time to full enteral feeding.
['Thyagarajan|Balamurugan|B|', 'Tillqvist|Emma|E|', 'Baral|Vijay|V|', 'Hallberg|Boubou|B|', 'Vollmer|Brigitte|B|', 'Blennow|Mats|M|']
D004750:Enteral Nutrition D005260:Female D006801:Humans D007036:Hypothermia, Induced D020925:Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain D007231:Infant, Newborn D007902:Length of Stay D008297:Male D012189:Retrospective Studies D013548:Sweden D006113:United Kingdom
Enteral nutrition Hypothermia Perinatal hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy Breastfeeding