Growth of premature infants with birth weight less than 1500 grams in a University Hospital from Espírito Santo state, Brazil
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47456/rbps.v26isupl_1.44392Keywords:
Infant, Very Low Birth Weight, Premature, Follow-Up CareAbstract
Introduction: In front of the continuous advancement in neonatal care, there is a noticeable increase in the survival of preterm infants with lower gestational ages. This underscores the importance of follow-up care to ensure the proper growth and development of these patients within society. Objectives: To describe the growth patterns of preterm infants with birth weights less than 1500 grams who were monitored at the outpatient follow-up clinic for high-risk newborns at a University Hospital in Espírito Santo. Methods: A cross-sectional, retrospective, and descriptive study of the growth of preterm infants with birth weights less than 1500g, who were evaluated in at least 3 outpatient follow-up consultations between October 2020 and September 2021, up to 12 months of corrected age. Results: 54 preterm infants were evaluated, with an average gestational age of 29 weeks, 61.11% female, average birth weight of 1145.72g, and 72.22% small for gestational age (SGA). The average Z score for birth weight was -0.33SD; at hospital discharge -1.83SD; in period I -1.18SD; period II -0.78SD; period III -0.43SD. Height: -0.69SD at birth, -2.08SD at discharge, -1.43SD; -0.65SD; and -0.43SD in periods I, II, and III, respectively. Regarding head circumference: Z score at birth -0.25SD; at discharge -1.84SD; and in follow-up -0.98SD; -0.58SD; and -0.43SD in periods I, II, and III, respectively. Conclusion: At 12 months of corrected age, the majority of evaluated preterm infants achieved appropriate values for the three anthropometric variables, with Z score averages in period III resembling the birth averages.
Downloads
References
Brasil. Ministério da Saúde. Departamento de Informática do Sistema Único de Saúde (DATASUS). Available from: https:// datasus.saude.gov.br/. Accessed January 2, 2024.
Koletzko B, Li Z. Feeding after Discharge. In: Koletzko B, Cheah FC, Domellöf M, Poindexter BB, Vain N, van Goudoever JB, edi¬tors. Nutritional Care of Preterm Infants. Switzerland: Karger; 2021. p. 325-39.
Kuo DZ, Lyle RE, Casey PH, Stille CJ. Care System Redesign for Preterm Children After Discharge From the NICU. Pediatrics. 2017 Apr;139(4):e20162969. doi: 10.1542/peds.2016-2969. Epub 2017 Mar 1. PMID: 28250024.
Ong KK, Kennedy K, Castañeda-Gutiérrez E, Forsyth S, Godfrey KM, Koletzko B, Latulippe ME, Ozanne SE, Rueda R, Schoe¬maker MH, van der Beek EM, van Buuren S, Fewtrell M. Post¬natal growth in preterm infants and later health outcomes: a systematic review. Acta Paediatr. 2015 Oct;104(10):974-86. doi: 10.1111/apa.13128. PMID: 26179961; PMCID: PMC5054880.
Cordova EG, Belfort MB. Updates on Assessment and Moni¬toring of the Postnatal Growth of Preterm Infants. Neoreviews. 2020 Feb;21(2):e98-e108. doi: 10.1542/neo.21-2-e98. Epub 2020 Jan 31. PMID: 32005720.
Embleton ND. Fifteen-minute consultation: ABCDE approach to nutritional assessment in preterm infants. Arch Dis Child Educ Pract Ed. 2022 Oct;107(5):314-9. doi: 10.1136/archdis¬child-2020-320928. Epub 2021 May 21. PMID: 34021008.
Villar J, Giuliani F, Barros F, Roggero P, Coronado Zarco IA, Rego MAS, et al. Monitoring the Postnatal Growth of Preterm Infants: A Paradigm Change. Pediatrics. 2018 Feb;141(2):e20172467. doi: 10.1542/peds.2017-2467. Epub 2018 Jan 4. PMID: 29301912.
Rover MDMS, et al. Crescimento de prematuros de muito baixo peso até os 12 meses de idade corrigida. Rev Crescimento Desen¬volv Humano. 2015;3:351.
Rozé JC, Darmaun D, Boquien CY, Flamant C, Picaud JC, Savag¬ner C, et al. The apparent breastfeeding paradox in very preterm infants: relationship between breast feeding, early weight gain and neurodevelopment based on results from two cohorts, EPIPAGE and LIFT. BMJ Open. 2012 Apr 5;2(2):e000834. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2012-000834.
Fenton TR, Kim JH. A systematic review and meta-analysis to revise the Fenton growth chart for preterm infants. BMC Pedi¬atr. 2013 Apr 20;13:59. doi: 10.1186/1471-2431-13-59. PMID: 23601190; PMCID: PMC3637477.
Villar J, Giuliani F, Bhutta ZA, Bertino E, Ohuma EO, Ismail LC, Barros FC, Altman DG, Victora C, Noble JA, Gravett MG, Pur¬war M, Pang R, Lambert A, Papageorghiou AT, Ochieng R, Jaffer YA, Kennedy SH; International Fetal and Newborn Growth Consortium for the 21st Century (INTERGROWTH-21st). Post¬natal growth standards for preterm infants: the Preterm Post¬natal Follow-up Study of the INTERGROWTH-21st Project. Lancet Glob Health. 2015 Nov;3(11):e681-91. doi: 10.1016/S2214- 109X(15)00163-1. PMID: 26475015.
WHO Multicentre Growth Reference Study Group. WHO Child Growth Standards based on length/height, weight and age. Acta Paediatr Suppl. 2006 Apr;450:76-85. doi: 10.1111/j.1651- 2227.2006.tb02378.x. PMID: 16817681.
American Academy of Pediatrics, Committee on Fetus and Newborn and the American College of Obstetricians and Gyne¬cologists (ACOG) Committee on Obstetric Practice. Guidelines for perinatal care. 8th ed. Elk Grove Village, IL: American Acad¬emy of Pediatrics; 2017.
Brasil. Ministério da Saúde. Atenção ao pré-natal de baixo risco. Secretaria de Atenção à Saúde. Departamento de Atenção Básica. Brasília: Ministério da Saúde; 2012.
Rugolo LMSS, Bentlin MR, Rugolo Junior A, Dalben I, Trindade CEP. Crescimento de prematuros de extremo baixo peso nos primeiros dois anos de vida. Rev Paul Pediatr. 2007 Jun;25(2):142-9. doi: 10.1590/S0103-05822007000200008.
Oliveira MG, Silveira RC, Procianoy RS. Growth of very low birth weight infants at 12 months corrected age in southern Brazil. J Trop Pediatr. 2008 Feb;54(1):36-42. doi: 10.1093/tropej/ fmm103. Epub 2007 Dec 21. PMID: 18156645.
Brasil. Ministério da Saúde, Secretaria de Atenção à Saúde. Departamento de Ações Programáticas Estratégicas. Método canguru: diretrizes do cuidado – 1ª ed. revisada – [recurso ele¬trônico]. Brasília: Ministério da Saúde; 2018. Available from: https://bvsms.saude.gov.br/bvs/publicacoes/metodo_canguru_ diretrizes_cuidado_revisada.pdf.
Lawrence & Lawrence, E. AL. Breastfeeding: a guide for the medical profession. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier - Health Sciences Division; 2022.
Young A, Beattie RM, Johnson MJ. Optimising growth in very preterm infants: reviewing the evidence. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2023 Jan;108(1):2-9. doi: 10.1136/archdis¬child-2021-322892. Epub 2022 Feb 28. PMID: 35228320.
Santiago ACT et al. Perfil de crescimento de recém-nascidos prematuros menores de 32 semanas no primeiro ano de vida. Rev Ciênc Méd Biol. 2014 Sep-Dec;13(3 – especial):269-73.
Lima PA, Carvalho Md, Costa AC, Moreira ME. Variables asso¬ciated with extra uterine growth restriction in very low birth weight infants. J Pediatr (Rio J). 2014 Jan-Feb;90(1):22-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jped.2013.05.007. Epub 2013 Oct 22. PMID: 24156833.
Michaelis IA, Krägeloh-Mann I, Mazinu M, Jordaan E. Growth of a cohort of very low birth weight and preterm infants born at a single tertiary health care center in South Africa. Front Pediatr. 2023 Jan 18;10:1075645. doi: 10.3389/fped.2022.1075645.
Cockerill J, Uthaya S, Doré CJ, Modi N. Accelerated postnatal head growth follows preterm birth. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neo¬natal Ed. 2006 May;91(3):F184-7. doi: 10.1136/adc.2005.077818. Epub 2006 Jan 12. PMID: 16410256; PMCID: PMC2672692.
Goulart AL et al. Impacto dos fatores perinatais nos déficits de cres¬cimento de prematuros. Rev Assoc Med Bras. 2011;57(3):272-279.
Rover MMS, Viera CS, Silveira RC, Guimarães ATB, Gras¬siolli S. Risk factors associated with growth failure in the fol¬low-up of very low birth weight newborns. J Pediatr (Rio J). 2016 May;92(3):307-13. doi: 10.1016/j.jped.2015.09.006.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Brazilian Journal of Health Research

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The Revista Brasileira de Pesquisa em Saúde (RBPS) adopts the CC BY 4.0 license, which means that authors retain the copyright of the works they submit to the journal. Authors are responsible for declaring that their contribution is an original manuscript, that it has not been previously published, and that it is not under simultaneous review by another scientific journal. Upon submitting the manuscript, authors grant RBPS the exclusive right of first publication, subject to peer review.
Authors are permitted to enter into additional contracts for the non-exclusive distribution of the version published by RBPS (for example, in institutional repositories or as a book chapter), provided that due acknowledgment of authorship and of initial publication by RBPS is given. Authors are also encouraged to make their work available online (for example, in institutional repositories or on their personal pages) after its initial publication in the journal, with due acknowledgment of authorship and of the original publication by RBPS.
Accordingly, under the CC BY 4.0 license, readers have the right to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially;
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms. Under the following terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.