title: Nutritional support for premature infants in the neonatal intensive care unit.
abstract: Nutritional support for premature infants in the neonatal intensive care unit setting is complex. Such infants have conditions unique to this period of the lifespan requiring specialized care management, both of which may impede the provision of adequate nutrition to support basal metabolic needs. Premature infants require optimum nutritional intake to support rapid growth during a time when they are not fully capable of tolerating it. This article reviews developmental anatomy, physiology, and the effect of premature delivery by systems; the challenges of providing adequate nutrition; and current evidence-based strategies to provide nutrition for premature infants during hospitalization.
authors.forename: Georgia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ditzenberger
mesh_terms: D020345:Enterocolitis, Necrotizing / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D018529:Nutritional Support
keywords: Extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infant; Nutrition; Postnatal growth restriction; Premature infant; Protein; Very low birth weight (VLBW) infant