Rising to the challenge of the ESPGHAN nutritional guidelines

The number of newborn babies who survive premature birth has increased considerably in the past 20 years. This presents neonatal teams with a major challenge in providing the optimal nutrition to these vulnerable infants.

It was to help meet this challenge that, last year, ESPGHAN published a set of guidelines for the nutrition of enterally fed preterm infants up to a weight of approximately 1800g¹. Recognising that preterm infants have different nutritional requirements depending on their weight, the guidelines give recommended ranges for the intake of fluid, energy and a variety of nutrients.
However, a recent survey of 170 healthcare professionals revealed that 67.6% would like to know more about the ESPGHAN guidelines².

These guidelines can be downloaded from the ESPGHAN website at http://espghan.med.up.pt/position_papers/Enteral_Nutrient_Supply_for_Preterm_Infants.pdf


Importance of the ESPGHAN guidelines

By following the ESPGHAN guidelines healthcare professionals can offer preterm infants the chance of achieving ‘growth similar to foetal coupled with satisfactory functional development’¹.

Cow & Gate recently upgraded the recipe of nutriprem 1 to meet the ESPGHAN guidelines, including for protein, carbohydrate, sodium, iron, selenium and vitamin A. In contrast, SMA Gold Prem 1 falls short of the ESPGHAN guidelines on protein, carbohydrate, sodium, iron, selenium and vitamin A (Table 1).

Cow & Gate breastmilk fortifier can also help healthcare professionals follow the ESPGHAN guidelines, making it superior to other brands that are unable to meet all of the nutritional ranges outlined in the recommendation (Table 2).

Innovation supports neonatal teams

Asked about their views on product innovation, an overwhelming proportion (98.9%) of the survey respondents said they felt innovation is important to preterm nutrition. Cow & Gate has been at the forefront of innovation in infant nutrition for many years and is committed to ensuring its product advances are of direct benefit to clinical practice.

98.9% of respondents believed product innovation is important to preterm nutrition

Guidance for preterm babies weighing between 1-1.8kg














References:
1. Agostoni C et al. Enteral nutrient supply for preterm infants: commentary from the European
Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Committee on Nutrition. J Pediatr
Gastroentrol Nutr. 2010;50(1):85-91.
2. Danone Baby Nutrition. Caring for the Young: a telephone survey of neonatal healthcare professionals. Opinion Matters: London, 2011.
3. SMA. SMA Gold Prem 1 datacard [Online]. 2009. Available at: www.smahcp.co.uk [Accessed June 2011].
4. Mean values for preterm breastmilk found in 1) Tsang R, Uauy R, Koletzko B, Zlotkin S, eds. Nutrition of the preterm infant. Scientific basis and practical guidelines. OH: Digital Educational Publishing: 2005; 2) Klein CJ. Nutrient requirements for preterm infant formulas. J Nutr 2002;132:1395S-1595S and 3) Geigy Scientific Tables 1975, 7th ed. Basel, Switzerland: Ciba-Geigy Ltd.
5. SMA. SMA Breast Milk Fortifier datacard [Online]. 2009. Available at: www.smahcp.co.uk [Accessed June 2011].
6. Embleton N. Enteral nutrition for preterm infants: translating ESPGHAN guidelines into practice. Infant
2011; 7(6): 185-88.

Important notice: Cow & Gate nutriprem 1 is a food for special medical purposes and should only be used under medical supervision, after full consideration of the feeding options available including breastfeeding. Cow & Gate nutriprem 1 is suitable for use as the sole source of nutrition for preterm and low birthweight infants. This product is not for parenteral use.