ABSTRACT

Preterm (PT) birth rates have slightly declined since 2009 and are currently at 11.55% in the United States [1]. Over the past several decades, advances in neonatal care have increased the survival of premature infants at lower gestational ages. This creates challenges for the clinician not only in terms of technological support but also in terms of nutritional support. In addition to the focus on somatic growth, the importance of aggressive nutritional support has recently been shown to have a signicant and possibly independent effect, on improved neurodevelopmental outcomes in PT infants [2]. PT infants in this study who grew at the upper quartiles demonstrated lower incidences of cerebral palsy, neurodevelopmental impairment, and abnormal neurologic exams at long-term follow-up [2].