Enteral nutritional therapy of premature newborns (<1,500g) admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit

Abstract

Preterm newborns (PTNBs) are challenged by their physiological immaturity and need intensive care and, therefore, are considered patients at nutritional risk. The present study aimed to monitor the nutritional evolution of premature newborns (&lt;1,500g) admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of a public maternity hospital in southern Brazil. This is an observational, descriptive and prospective study with a quantitative approach, based on the review of 24 medical records analyzed using simple descriptive statistics. The average gestational age (GA) at birth was 27 weeks and 2 days for group 01 and 29 weeks and 5 days for group 02, and the average birth weight found was 820g and 1223g, respectively. The average weight gain of both groups was 21 to 23.6g per day of hospitalization. Regarding the caloric value achieved by the diet, in both groups the average was 138.24 to 140.34 kcal/kg/day, with a maximum of 159.4 kcal/kg/day. The research made it possible to know the nutritional profile of preterm infants based on growth parameters and also through the practices carried out at the unit.