Outcomes following early parenteral nutrition use in preterm neonates

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Outcomes following early parenteral nutrition use in very preterm neonates

• IRAS ID

  238670

• Contact name

  Chris Gale

• Contact email

  christopher.gale@imperial.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  Imperial College London

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 7 months, 29 days

• Research summary

  BACKGROUND
  Each year in the UK about 60,000 babies are born too early (before completing 37 weeks of pregnancy); most will need specialist care on a neonatal unit.

  Providing nutrition is essential so these babies grow and develop; they often have difficulty digesting milk so feeds are introduced gradually. During this period additional nutrition may be provided as a fluid into a vein; called “parenteral nutrition” (PN). Unfortunately, PN increases the risk of serious complications like bloodstream infection.

  There is general agreement that the benefits of PN outweigh the risks in extremely premature babies, but for less premature babies there is little evidence.

  AIMS
  Firstly, James Webbe (JW) will describe which babies are given PN during the first week after birth in England, Scotland and Wales.

  Secondly, JW will determine whether in babies born 7-10 weeks premature, providing PN in the first week after birth improves survival to discharge home. JW will also explore whether PN affects other outcomes.

  IMPORTANCE
  This work will show how PN is used in England, Scotland and Wales for the first time. This project will improve understanding of the balance of benefits and harms of PN use in babies born moderately prematurely.

  METHODS
  JW will use the National Neonatal Research Database (NNRD) to study babies born from 2008-2017. JW will identify which babies were given PN during the first week, and which were not.

  Then JW will use the NNRD to identify babies born 7-10 weeks prematurely from 2012-2017. JW and Nick Longford (NL) will use statistical techniques to identify two similar groups of babies; the only difference being whether or not they were given PN. Neonatal Data Analysis Unit staff will extract data from the NNRD about the outcomes. As the two groups will be matched any difference in outcomes is likely to be due to whether they received PN.

• REC name

  HSC REC B

• REC reference

  18/NI/0214

• Date of REC Opinion

  20 Nov 2018

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion