Impact of Breast Milk, Respiratory Insufficiency, and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease on Enteral Feeding in Infants With Omphalocele

Objectives: The aim of this study was to document the process of achieving full enteral feeding in infants with omphalocele and to identify factors that affect feeding success. Methods: After institutional review board approval (study no. 5100169), 123 infants with omphalocele, born between 1993 and 2011 were reviewed. Mortalities were excluded. All survivors had complete follow-up. Variables suspected to impact enteral feeding in infants with non-giant versus giant omphalocele were compared. Independent t test, Mann-Whitney, and χ2 test were used. Regression evaluated for variable independence. Results: Of 123 infants with omphalocele, 97 (79%) survived, 62/97 (64%) had non-giant, and 35/97 (36%) giant omphalocele. For survivors, the mean gestational age was 37 ± 4 weeks with median follow-up of 4.4 years (range: 1.4–7.4 years). The median time to full feeds was 4 days (range: 0–85 days) for non-giant versus 8 days (range: 1–96 days) for giant, a significant difference (P 
Source: Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition - Category: Gastroenterology Tags: Original Articles: Gastroenterology Source Type: research