High versus standard volumes of enteral feeds for preterm or low birth weight infants

Abstract

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows: To assess the effects of a policy of feeding preterm or LBW infants with high (> 200 mL/kg/day) versus standard (≤ 200 mL/kg/day) volumes of milk. Infants in the intervention and control groups should have received the same type of milk (breast milk, formula, or both), the same fortification or micronutrient supplements, and the same enteral feeding regimen (bolus, continuous) and rate of feed volume advancement. We will undertake subgroup analyses based on the type of milk (breast milk versus formula), the gestational age or birth weight category of the infants (very preterm or VLBW versus preterm or LBW), the presence of intrauterine growth restriction (using the birth weight relative to the reference population as a surrogate), and the income level of the country where the trial was conducted (low- or middle-income versus high-income) (Subgroup analysis and investigation of heterogeneity).