Feasibility and Safety of Duodenal Feeds in Very Low Birth Weight Infants

The primary outcome of this study is the safety and feasibility of duodenal feeds in very low birth weight infants. The secondary outcomes are various measures related to growth, respiratory support, comorbidities, and hospitalization.

Eligibility of infants admitted to the Johns Hopkins All Children's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) will be determined based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Eligible infants will be recruited and enrolled by 14 days of life after informed consent is obtained. Randomization of the infants into two groups- investigational continuous Duodenal Feeds (DF) or standard Gastric Feeds (GF) - will occur just prior to the infants advancing beyond 50mL/kg/day of enteral feeds.

All enrolled infants will be fed per the institutional feeding protocol. Once infants advance past 50mL/kg/day of enteral feeds, at this point infants will be randomized to DF or GF groups in a 1:1 block randomization using blinded envelopes. Multiple gestation infants will be randomized individually.

Placement of gastric tubes will be per standard of practice, and insertion of duodenal tube will be per manual of operations. Continuous duodenal feeds will be provided over 24 hours as a continuous infusion through a nasoduodenal or oro-duodenal tube. Standard gastric feeds will be infused via a nasogastric or orogastric tube per the instructions of the medical team. Gastric feeds are provided as standard of care in the NICU; intermittent bolus feeds over 15-60 minutes. Feeding time may be prolonged by the medical team, for longer than 60 minutes and possibly even be given continuously, for various reasons (emesis, reflux, apnea, bradycardia, etc.) and will be monitored and recorded. Feed volume and advancement will continue to be determined by standardized institutional feeding guidelines. Decision to provide further fortification of feeds beyond institutional guidelines will be determined by the medical team and not standardized in this protocol. Once full enteral feeds are achieved (total fluid goal of at least 140mL/kg/day), patients will continue to receive feeds via the designated route.

An institutional "Infant Driven Feeding Guideline" is utilized to evaluate readiness to orally feed and to transition premature infants from enteral to oral feeds. Once an infant is eligible to receive oral feeds per this guideline (32 weeks postmenstrual age, and tolerating ≤2L flow via nasal cannula for at least 24 hours), the study will allow the medical team to transition infants in the DF group to gastric feeds. Regarding transitioning infant from duodenal to gastric feeds, infants are initially placed on continuous gastric feeds, and once the participants have demonstrated tolerance (no evidence of reflux, increased respiratory support, emesis), the participants are then transitioned to bolus gastric feeds progressively. Infants may be allowed to orally feed during this transition period if the participants meet the appropriate infant driven feeding scores per protocol.