Catch-up growth for the extremely low birth weight infant.
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.
Hill
Alice S
AS
The University of Texas School of Nursing at Galveston, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA.
Nguyen
Hoang
H
Dickerson
Kimberly L
KL
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