title: Small volume enemas do not accelerate meconium evacuation in very low birth weight infants.
abstract: We hypothesized that small volume enemas accelerate meconium evacuation in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. In a randomized controlled trial, VLBW infants (n = 81) received either repeated daily small volume enemas if complete spontaneous meconium passage failed within 24 h or no intervention. Small volume enemas did not accelerate complete meconium evacuation, which occurred after 6.0 to 9.6 (95% CI) d in the intervention group and after 7.7 to 11.0 (95% CI) d in the control group. No adverse events were observed. Daily administration of small volume enemas had no effect on total meconium evacuation defined by the time of last meconium passage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Nadja
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Haiden
authors.forename: Bernd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jilma
authors.forename: Bernadette
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gerhold
authors.forename: Katrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Klebermass
authors.forename: Andrea R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Prusa
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kuhle
authors.forename: Klaudia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rohrmeister
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kohlhauser-Vollmuth
authors.forename: Arnold
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pollak
mesh_terms: D003672:Defecation; D004733:Enema; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; D007415:Intestinal Obstruction / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008470:Meconium; D013997:Time Factors