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Exclusive Enteral Nutrition in Preterm Neonates

Exclusive Enteral Nutrition in Preterm Neonates- A Randomized Controlled Trial

Status
Completed
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04337710
Acronym
ENACT
Enrollment
102
Registered
2020-04-08
Start date
2021-05-27
Completion date
2025-09-15
Last updated
2026-06-15

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Enteral Feeding Intolerance, Premature; Infant, Light-for-dates

Brief summary

To test the hypothesis that early exclusive enteral nutrition with the minimal use of parenteral nutrition will improve preterm infants' nutritional outcomes when compared to delayed progression of enteral nutrition and prolonged use of parenteral nutrition.

Detailed description

Qualifying participants will be randomly assigned to one of two study groups: 1) Exclusive Enteral Feeds or 2) Progressive Enteral Feeds with supplemental parenteral nutrition. Regardless of study group assignment, donor human milk will be offered if the mother's expressed breast milk is not enough to complete the intervention as assigned. Intervention group: Feeds will be initiated with a target volume of 60-80 ml/kg/day and then advanced by 20-30 ml/kg/day until the total volume of 150ml/kg/day is achieved. Control group: Enteral feeds will be initiated with a target volume of 20-30 ml/kg/day and then advanced by 20-30 ml/kg/day until the total volume of 150 ml/kg/day is achieved. If parent agrees, stool "dirty" diapers will be collected 2 times during this study. One time around the time of birth and one time at 28 days or discharge (whichever occurs first).

Interventions

Mom's milk or donor milk at 60-80 ml/kg/day after randomization within the first 24 hours.

PROCEDUREProgressive Enteral Nutrition

Mom's milk or donor milk at 20-30 ml/kg/day after randomization within the first 24 hours.

Sponsors

University of Alabama at Birmingham
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
1 Years to 48 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Gestational age between 28 and 32 weeks of gestation

Exclusion criteria

* Intrauterine growth restriction (birth weight \< 10th percentile) * Major congenital or chromosomal anomalies * Terminal illness in which decisions to withhold or limit support have been made

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Number of days of full enteral feeding (150ml/kg/day) in the first 28 days after birthBirth to 28 daysDays of full feeds in the first 28 days after birth

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Time to establish full enteral feedingBirth to 28 daysTime interval between birth and full enteral feeding at 150ml/kg/day
Number of episodes of feeding intoleranceBirth to 28 daysInterruption or cessation of enteral feeds for a period greater than 12 hours for abnormal abdominal examination
Number of days receiving parenteral nutrition and IV fluidsBirth to 28 days
Number of days receiving central line accessBirth to 28 days
Number of episodes of culture proven sepsisBirth to 60 days or discharge, whichever occurs firstPositive blood cultures
Number of participants with diagnosis of necrotizing enterocolitisBirth to 60 days or discharge, whichever occurs firstDiagnosis of necrotizing enterocolitis stage 2 or 3
Number of participants with diagnosis of intestinal perforationBirth to 14 daysPneumoperitoneum on abdominal radiograph
DeathBirth to 60 days
WeightBirth to 60 daysWeekly measurements of weight in g
LengthBirth to 60 daysWeekly measurements of length in cm
Head circumferenceBirth to 60 daysWeekly measurements of head circumference in cm
Duration of hospital stay in daysBirth to 60 days

Countries

United States

Contacts

STUDY_CHAIRVivek Shukla, MD

University of Alabama at Birmingham

STUDY_DIRECTORAriel Salas, MD, MSPH

University of Alabama at Birmingham

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORJacqueline Razzaghy, MD

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Jun 16, 2026