Clinical effects of glutamine dipeptide supplemented parenteral nutrition in very low birth weight neonate infants
AbstractObjective. Glutamine, proposed to be conditionally essential for critically ill patients, is not added routinely to parenteral amino acid formulations for premature infants. Parenteral feeding is the basic way of nutrition in the first days of life of premature infants. The authors examined the clinical benefits and the safety of parenteral glutamine dipeptide supplementation in very low birth weight (VLBW) preterm neonates.
Material and methods. From November 2012 to February 2014 63 VLBW premature infants were given either standard or glutamine dipeptide supplemented parenteral nutrition in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). 33 infants were in glutamine dipeptide supplemented group, 30 infants were in control group. There were no differences in birth weight, gestation age and medical condition between the two groups. Clinical manifestations and biochemical indices were monitored throughout the duration of hospital stay. Data between groups were analyzed with Student's t test. A twotailed P value <0,05 was considered statistically significant.
Results. Parenteral glutamine supplementation in VLBW premature infants can shorten days on parenteral nutrition and length of stay in NICU, and decrease severity of feeding intolerance and the incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis. It had reduced the time to achieving full enteral nutrition. On the other hand, in the comparison groups were no significant differences in duration of mechanical ventilation, length of whole hospitalization, total mortality, laboratory markers.
Conclusion. Parenteral glutamine dipeptide appears to be well tolerated and safe in the preterm neonate. The obtained results are of a preliminary nature, the problem requires a multicenter randomized trials.
Keywords:glutamine dipeptide, preterm infants, very low birth weight, intensive therapy, parenteral nutrition