Breast milk fortification: effect on gastric emptying.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether a widely used fortifier affects gastric emptying in very low birth weight infants and whether the amount of fortifier added to breast milk makes a difference with regard to gastric emptying.


METHODS
The study hypothesis was tested in a balanced crossover design. Gastric emptying was determined in the same infant on the same day with each of the three test feedings (unfortified breast milk, half-fortified breast milk, and fully fortified breast milk) in random order. The antral cross-sectional area (ACSA) was measured by B-mode ultrasonography (US) and the feeding was given. The ACSA was determined again immediately after feeding was completed, and was then determined at 10-min intervals until the pre-feeding value was reached.


RESULTS
The average half-emptying time was 49 +/- 23 min with breast milk, 54 +/- 29 min with half-fortified breast milk, and 65 +/- 36 min with fully fortified breast milk. The differences between feeding groups were not statistically significant.


CONCLUSIONS
Fortification of breast milk does not play a clinically significant role in causing feeding intolerance in preterm babies when recommended concentrations of fortifier are used.
Yigit
Sule
S
Pediatrics/Neonatology, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey. yigitsule@gamil.com
Akgoz
Ayca
A
Memisoglu
Asli
A
Akata
Deniz
D
Ziegler
Ekhard E
EE
D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D005260:Female; D005527:Food, Fortified; D005746:Gastric Emptying / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000187:drug effects*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008895:Milk, Human; D011446:Prospective Studies