The temporal relationship between exposure to bovine milk products and surgical NEC in preterm infants

Necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) continues to be a major cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity. It is less common in breastfed infants suggesting a protective role for breast milk. However NEC is now being seen in fully breast milk fed infants following introduction of fortifiers derived from bovine milk, which suggests a possible causative role for bovine products. This study investigates the relationship between the commencement of feed containing bovine milk products and the development of surgical NEC in preterm infants.

David M. Burge
Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer¹ and Consultant Paediatric and Neonatal Surgeon² david.burge@uhs.nhs.uk

Melanie Drewett
Clinical Nurse Specialist in Neonatal Surgery³

Hall N. J.
Associate Professor¹ and Consultant Paediatric and Neonatal Surgeon²

¹University of Southampton
²Southampton Children’s Hospital
³Princess Anne Hospital, Southampton

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Keywords

necrotising enterocolitis; infant feeding; cows’ milk protein

Also published in Infant:

VOLUME 16/ISSUE 5, SEPTEMBER 2020

Stoma associated morbidity in the preterm infant

Babies born prematurely are at risk of developing gastrointestinal complications that may require small bowel resection with or without stoma formation. The evidence base regarding the optimal initial surgical intervention and the subsequent timing of stoma closure is limited. To help inform the design of future randomised controlled trials investigating the optimal timing of stoma closure, we describe current practice and outcomes including stoma-related complications in a cohort of preterm infants who underwent stoma formation at the Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow.