packed cell transfusion and feeding tolerance in healthy preterm infants: a randomized clinical trial

Background: recently, the correlation between necrotizing enterocolitis (nec) and packed cell transfusion (pct) has been identified.evidence shows that 25 - 35% of nec cases are associated with pct.objectives: this study aimed to determine the association between pct and feeding tolerance in healthy preterm newborns.methods: materials and methods: this clinical trial was performed on preterm infants, admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit(nicu) of mofid children’s hospital, tehran, iran, from april 2017 to may 2018. a total of 70 healthy premature infants (birth weight< 1500 g and gestational age < 32 weeks) with enteral feeding, who required pct, were included in this study. the eligible infantswere divided into two groups by block randomization. in the intervention group (n = 35), breastfeeding was withheld only duringpct and then continued as usual. onthe other hand, in the control group (n = 35), feeding was performed as usual, regardless of pct.feeding tolerance within the first 72 hours post-transfusion was compared between the two groups. sick newborns were excludedfrom the study. data analysis was performed in spss version 20.results: the mean gestational age, birth weight, and postnatal age of the neonates were 30.13 weeks, 1245.71 g, and 17 days in theintervention group and 29.97 weeks, 1169.43 g, and 15.46 days in the control group, respectively; there was no significant differencebetween the two groups. except for pre-transfusion hemoglobin and hematocrit levels, other characteristics of the two groups weresimilar. feeding tolerance was reported in 32 (91.2%), 33 (94.73%), and 34 (97.1%) newborns at 24, 48, and 72 hours post-transfusion inboth groups, without any significant difference. there was no significant difference between neonates with and without feedingtolerance in either of the groups.conclusions: according to the present results, withholding feeding during pct is not necessary in healthy preterm neonates witha good general condition, and continued breastfeeding seems to be a safe option.