TABLE 2.
Feeding and safety outcomes1
| Early feeding | Delayed feeding | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Outcomes | group (n = 30) | group (n = 30) | P |
| Full enteral feeding in the first 28 d after birth, d | 19 (0–20)2 | 17 (13–18) | 0.023 |
| Time to full enteral feeding, d | 10 ± 34 | 12 ± 2 | 0.00035 |
| Duration of parenteral nutrition, d | 4 ± 6 | 8 ± 6 | 0.00055 |
| Duration of central venous access, d | 9 ± 7 | 13 ± 6 | 0.00015 |
| Culture-proven sepsis, n (%) | 3 (10) | 8 (27) | 0.186 |
| Duration of mechanical ventilation, d | 8 ± 9 | 10 ± 12 | 0.615 |
| Supplemental oxygen at 36 wk,7n (%) | 12 (50) | 13 (50) | 1.006 |
| Weight <10th percentile at 36 wk,7,8n (%) | 12 (50) | 16 (62) | 0.416 |
| Length <10th percentile at 36 wk,7,8n (%) | 13 (54) | 18 (69) | 0.276 |
| Head circumference <10th percentile at 36 wk,7,8n (%) | 9 (38) | 16 (62) | 0.096 |
| Restricted growth at 36 wk (weight, length, and head circumference <10th percentile),7,8n (%) | 6 (25) | 13 (50) | 0.076 |
| NEC, n (%) | 2 (7) | 3 (10) | 1.006 |
| Mortality before postnatal day 28, n (%) | 5 (16) | 3 (10) | 0.706 |
| Mortality, n (%) | 7 (23) | 4 (12) | 0.376 |
| NEC or death, n (%) | 8 (27) | 6 (20) | 0.566 |
| Age at the time of hospital discharge, d | 74 (53–92) | 80 (66–92) | 0.205 |
1NEC, necrotizing enterocolitis.
2Median; 25th–75th percentile in parentheses (all such values).
3Derived by using Wilcoxon's rank-sum test. Normal distribution could not be assumed because the early feeding group had 2 distinctive peaks in the distribution of the outcome (bimodal distribution).
4Mean ± SD (all such values).
5Derived by using t test for independent samples assuming equal variances.
6Derived by using chi-square test or Fisher's exact test if some cells have an expected count of ≤5.
7Only participants with outcome data at 36 wk (n = 50): 24 in the early feeding group and 26 in the delayed progressive group.
8Percentiles were estimated by using the Fenton 2013 growth curves.