BackgroundBabies born at moderate-late preterm gestations account for > 80% of all preterm births. Although survival is excellent, these babies are at increased risk of adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. They also are at increased risk of adverse long-term health outcomes, such as cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes. There is little evidence guiding optimal nutritional practices in these babies; practice, therefore, varies widely. This factorial design clinical trial will address the role of parenteral nutrition, milk supplementation and exposure of the preterm infant to taste and smell with each feed on time to tolerance of full feeds, adiposity, and neurodevelopment at 2 years.Methods/designThe DIAMOND trial is a multi-centre, factorial, randomised, controlled clinical trial. A total of 528 babies born between 32+ 0 and 35+ 6 weeks’ gestation receiving intravenous fluids and whose mothers intend to breastfeed will be randomised to one of eight treatment conditions that include a combination of each of the three interventions: (i) intravenous amino acid solution vs. intravenous dextrose solution until full milk feeds established; (ii) milk supplement vs. exclusive breastmilk, and (iii) taste/smell given or not given before gastric tube feeds. Babies will be excluded if a particular mode of nutrition is clinically indicated or there is a congenital abnormality.Primary study outcome: For parenteral nutrition and milk supplement interventions, body composition at 4 months’ corrected age. For taste/smell intervention, time to full enteral feeds defined as 150 ml.kg− 1.day− 1 or exclusive breastfeeding. Secondary outcomes: Days to full sucking feeds; days in hospital; body composition at discharge; growth to 2 years’ corrected age; development at 2 years’ corrected age; breastfeeding rates.DiscussionThis trial will provide the first direct evidence to inform feeding practices in moderate- to late-preterm infants that will optimise their growth, metabolic and developmental outcomes.Trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry - ACTRN12616001199404. This trial is endorsed by the IMPACT clinical trials network (https://impact.psanz.com.au).
There is variation in the nutritional management of MLPT infants amongst neonatal clinicians, likely due to the lack of evidence from randomised controlled trials on which to base clinical practice. The majority of clinicians are happy providing only dextrose 10% for up to 2-3 days despite this form of nutritional support containing only carbohydrate.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.