Effect of probiotics on intestinal nutrition tolerance in premature infants: A double blind, clinical trial study

Introduction & Objective: Appropriate nutrition is important in the first days of life in premature infants, because this group of infants suffers from many problems due to the lack of evolution of the digestive system, and early onset of intestinal nutrition prevents these complications. For this reason, probiotics have been used to prevent intestinal disorders in preterm infants due to their many benefits. Therefore, the present study was conducted to determine the effect of probiotics on intestinal nutritional tolerance in premature infants admitted in 17 Shahrivar Hospital in Rasht in 2018.Materials and Methods: This is a randomized, two-blind clinical trial. A randomized sampling method was used in which 68 preterm infants with gestational age of less than 36 weeks and birth weight of 2500-1000 gr were randomly assigned to two treatment groups (oral administration of probiotics) and control (with normal saline administration). Data were collected using a data form that includes demographic characteristics, time to complete full feeding, duration of hospitalization, discharge time, and the incidence of complications and mortality. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 21 using descriptive and inferential statistical tests.Results: The results of the study showed that the mean and standard deviation of total intestinal feeding time in the probiotic group was 5.7 ± 1.06 days, while in the placebo group it was 6.72 ± 1.98 days, which is The difference is statistically significant (P = 0.002). Our findings showed that there was no significant difference in weight gain in premature infants in both groups (p> 0.05).Conclusion: Preterm infants suffer from a number of problems due to the effective functioning of the digestive system, which will prevent early feeding of these complications. The present study showed that administration of probiotics reduced the amount of time needed to reach intestinal nutrition. Therefore, it is an effective and inexpensive method to prevent intestinal disorders in newborns.

Keywords:

Probiotic , Premature infant , Intestinal nutrition.