title: Postoperative nutrition of neonates undergoing heart surgery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Postoperative nutrition of newborns undergoing heart surgery (HS) is ill-defined. We compared the postoperative growth rates (grams/day) of neonates with congenital heart defects (CHDs) fed with their own mothers' milk (HU), a starting formula (SF; 67 kcal/100 mL), or a "preterm formula" (PF; 80 kcal/100 mL).
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 122 newborns undergoing HS: 81 underwent corrective surgery (group A), and 41 palliative surgery (group B).
  
  
  RESULTS
  No statistically significant differences were found in the growth rate between group A and B. Moreover, in both groups, no differences in terms of growth rate between infants fed HU, SF, or PF were observed. This was also true when analyses were limited to infants undergoing HS either with or without cardiopulmonary bypass.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In neonates undergoing HS, human milk allowed a growth rate similar to that observed with starting formulas and "preterm formulas". This effect may depend on the particular features of human milk and its protective properties for the intestinal mucosa.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Cardiology and Heart Surgery, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, San Donato Milanese, Italy. luca.rosti@gmail.com
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rosti
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vivaldo
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Butera
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chessa
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Carlucci
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giamberti
mesh_terms: D001942:Breast Feeding; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures; D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D041943:Infant Formula; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011182:Postoperative Care