Preterm Nutrition
Nutritional care is key for optimal growth and long-term health
Get a complete overview of nutrition and growth with visual feedback.
Nutritional care
Nutrition is fundamental for optimal growth and long-term health of preterm babies. Precise nutrition is crucial for optimal growth of the body, organs and for lifelong quality of life, as early nutritional deficit can cause impaired neurological development.
The Nutrium Software is a practical tool for daily enteral and parenteral nutrition prescriptions. No more time-consuming manual or spreadsheet calculations: The user-friendly, interactive Nutrium interface makes nutrient calculations easy and fun.
Get a complete overview
The Nutrium Software makes it easy to track nutrient intakes and growth over time, giving a crystal clear overview. Empower your team and facilitate the daily work with easy and effortless nutrition prescriptions.
Do patients’ receive a combination of enteral and parenteral intakes together with multiple nutrient supplements? No worries – still easy!
Enteral and parenteral intakes
Very preterm infants and very low birth weight preterm infants often receive both enteral and parenteral nutrition during care in the neonatal intensive care unit.
It can be difficult to fulfill nutritional guidelines due to practical difficulties in administering enteral and parenteral nutrition in infants with significant co-morbidities. It is also difficult for the NICU staff to keep track of the nutrient intakes of these infants, who often receive a combination of enteral and parenteral nutrition together with multiple nutrient supplements.
Retinopathy of prematurity
Nutrition is key for promoting optimal growth and organ development in preterm infants. Research show that it is possible to reduce the risk of ROP by ensuring the right conditions for growth and development.
Sjöström, Elisabeth Stoltz, et al. “Low energy intake during the first 4 weeks of life increases the risk for severe retinopathy of prematurity in extremely preterm infants.” Archives of Disease in Childhood-Fetal and Neonatal Edition 101.2 (2016): F108-F113.
Improve health outcomes
Iron supplementation
Research show that low birth weight infants are at increased risk of cognitive and behavioral problems and at risk for iron deficiency, which is to be associated with impaired neurodevelopment. A RCT in 285 marginally low birth weight infants who that iron supplementation of low birth weight infants may reduce behavioural problems at 3 years of age.
Berglund, Staffan K., et al. “Effects of iron supplementation of LBW infants on cognition and behavior at 3 years.” Pediatrics 131.1 (2013): 47-55.
The Swedish Experience
A national story of improving nutritional care, from insufficient to world-class.
In a national study on extremely preterm infants born between 2004-2007, it was shown that nutrient intakes during the first weeks of life were much lower than recommended and that these infants showed severe postnatal growth failure. This subsequently led to significant improvements in preterm nutrition in Swedish neonatal intensive care units.