Early hypophosphatemia in preterm infants receiving aggressive parenteral nutrition

Objective:to report the prevalence of hypophosphatemia during the first week of life in preterm infants receiving aggressive parenteral nutrition and to analyze population variables associated with severe hypophosphatemia.study design:a retrospective cohort of 61 neonates below 1250 g birth weight consecutively born at hospital italiano de buenos aires exposed to high caloric and protein intake from the first day of birth. primary outcome was hypophosphatemia (phosphate <4 mg dl−1). a one-sample mean comparison test was used to compare our sample with a hypothesized population mean.results:the prevalence of hypophosphatemia was 91% (95% confidence interval (ci) 82 to 97%). the mean phosphatemia value was 2.52 mg dl−1 (95% ci 2.18 to 2.86), significantly different from the hypothesized population mean (p<0.001). patients with severe hypophosphatemia (<2 mg dl−1) were smaller. they presented with sepsis more frequently and received more vasoactive drugs and mechanical ventilation.conclusion:the prevalence of hypophosphatemia in this group of preterm infants is high. the potential association with adverse clinical outcomes deserves further research.