Growth Outcomes of Preterm Infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: Long-term Considerations

Promoting growth is an important aspect of the management of preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit. However, this proves to be a difficult challenge. Most preterm infants have discharge weights less than the 10th percentile resulting in extrauterine growth retardation. Growth during the neonatal intensive care unit stay is associated with long-term outcomes. Slow growth velocity is associated with altered neurodevelopmental outcomes. There is increasing concern that strategies to improve growth are resulting in altered fat mass deposition and placing the infant at increased risk for the later development of clinical indications of metabolic syndrome. The minimal evidence available lends support to this hypothesis. Future research is needed to develop strategies that improve growth and neurodevelopmental outcomes while limiting the risk of metabolic syndrome.