title: Catch-up growth for the extremely low birth weight infant.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This retrospective chart review describes the growth of extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants after discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit.
  
  
  METHODS
  A descriptive design was used to collect data from 60 hospital records.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Gains were noted between assessment periods (discharge--6 months and 6-12 months) (t = 4.57, t = 5.60, t = 10.77, p < 0.001) for weight, length, and head circumference, respectively. A negative change in weight (z = -1.9; CI = -3.1, -0.66) within the discharge to 6-month assessment period and a positive change in length (z = 0.54, CI = 0.05, 1.04) within the 6 to 12-month assessment were noted. Each assessment was significantly below the 50th percentile of full-term infants with weight at the 7th percentile at 12 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The ELBW infants showed gains relative to the full-term infant but lagged behind on each growth parameter at each assessment.
authors.affiliation: The University of Texas School of Nursing at Galveston, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Alice S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: Hoang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: Kimberly L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Dickerson
mesh_terms: D000886:Anthropometry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight / Q000254:growth & development*; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies