Transforming Health and Resilience Via Individualized Nutrition in Very Preterm Infants for Extrauterine Growth and Development

Status: Recruiting
Location: See location...
Intervention Type: Dietary supplement
Study Type: Interventional
Study Phase: Not Applicable
SUMMARY

Human milk has several well-established benefits but does not adequately meet the increased nutritional demands of the growing preterm infant, necessitating additional nutrient supplementation in a process known as fortification. In U.S. neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), human milk is primarily supplemented using standardized fortification, in which a multicomponent fortifier is added to human milk to achieve assumed nutrient content based on standard milk reference values. However, this method does not account for the significant variability in human milk composition or in preterm infant metabolism, and up to half of all very premature infants experience poor growth and malnutrition using current nutritional practices. Poor postnatal growth has adverse implications for the developing preterm brain and long-term neurodevelopment. Recent advances allow for individualized methods of human milk fortification, including adjustable and targeted fortification. Adjustable fortification uses laboratory markers of protein metabolism (BUN level) to estimate an infant's protein requirements. In targeted fortification, a milk sample is analyzed to determine its specific macronutrient and energy content, with additional macronutrient supplementation provided as needed to achieve goal values. Emerging data suggest that both methods are safe and effective for improving growth, however information on their comparable efficacy and neurodevelopmental implications are lacking, particularly using advanced quantitative brain MRI (qMRI) techniques. Through this prospective, randomized-controlled trial, the investigators will compare the impact of individualized human milk fortification on somatic growth and neurodevelopment in preterm infants. Infants will be randomized to receive one of three nutritional interventions: standardized (control group), adjustable, or targeted human milk fortification. Infants will undergo their assigned nutritional intervention until term-equivalent age or discharge home, whichever is achieved first. Brain qMRI will be performed at term-corrected age, and neurodevelopmental follow-up will be performed through 5 years of age.

Eligibility
Participation Requirements
Sex: All
Maximum Age: 28 days
Healthy Volunteers: f
View:

• Birth gestational age (GA) of ≤32 weeks

• Postnatal age ≤4 weeks at time of enrollment

• Maternal plan to provide human milk to infant, and consent to providing donor human milk if insufficient maternal milk supply

• Maternal age \> 18 years old

Locations
United States
Washington, D.c.
Children's National Hospital
RECRUITING
Washington D.c.
Contact Information
Primary
Catherine Limperopoulos, Ph.D.
CLimpero@childrensnational.org
202-476-5293
Backup
Katherine M. Ottolini, M.D.
KOttolin@childrensnational.org
202-476-8905
Time Frame
Start Date: 2024-02-08
Estimated Completion Date: 2034-01
Participants
Target number of participants: 150
Treatments
Active_comparator: Standardized Fortification
All study participants will undergo feed advancement and fortification with liquid, bovine-based human milk fortifier (HMF) to an assumed human milk content of 24kcal/oz per the Children's National Hospital NICU standardized clinical feeding protocol. The same milk fortification recipes are utilized for mother's own milk (MOM) and donor human milk (DHM). Each infant's growth trajectory is monitored (weight, length, and head circumference) with dietary modifications performed as needed based on growth parameters.~Growth failure is defined as a decline in weight-for-age z-score by greater than 1 standard deviation (\>1 SD) beginning 1 week after reaching goal fortified feeds. For infants who demonstrate growth failure, Step 1 will be to add medium chain triglyceride (MCT) oil. If growth remains sub-optimal, Step 2 will be to add liquid protein.
Experimental: Adjustable
Adjustable fortification will begin 1 week after tolerating goal feeds of standardized fortification. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) level as a marker of protein metabolism will be measured weekly, and supplementation with liquid protein will be adjusted as necessary to maintain a goal BUN level between 9-14mmol/dL, up to a maximum assumed protein intake of 4.5 g/kg/day. Liquid protein supplementation will be modified as follows:~* BUN Level \<9 mmol/dL: Increase by 0.5g/kg/day~* BUN Level 9-14 mmol/dL: No change~* BUN Level \>14 mmol/dL: Decrease by 0.25g/kg/day~* BUN Level \>20 mmol/dL: Hold for 1 week and re-assess~Growth failure is defined as a decline in weight-for-age z-score by \>1 SD beginning 1 week after achieving BUN within goal range from adjustable fortification. For infants who demonstrate growth failure, MCT oil will be added and increased weekly as needed.
Experimental: Targeted
Targeted fortification will begin 1 week after tolerating goal feeds of standardized fortification. Additional supplementation with liquid protein and/or MCT oil will be provided based on twice weekly milk analysis using a mid-infrared human milk analyzer in order to meet macronutrient (carbohydrate, protein, lipid) and energy intake goals per pediatric nutrition guidelines (protein 4-4.5g/kg/day, fat 6-8g/kg/day, energy 120-130kcal/kg/day).~Growth failure is defined as a decline in weight-for-age z-score by \>1 SD beginning 1 week after receiving macronutrient and energy intake within goal range from targeted fortification. For infants with growth failure, total energy intake will be increased with additional protein and/or MCT oil supplementation. Energy intake may be increased weekly as needed.
Related Therapeutic Areas
Sponsors
Leads: Children's National Research Institute

This content was sourced from clinicaltrials.gov