Early enteral feeding safe after intestinal anastomosis in newborns: Study

China: Early enteral feeding (EEN) after intestinal anastomosis is safe in newborns with congenital gastrointestinal malformation, finds a recent study in the Journal of Pediatric Surgery.

Congenital gastrointestinal malformations – such as jejunoileal atresia, duodenal obstruction,and meconium ileus – among neonates are often treated with primary intestinal anastomosis. 

Intestinal anastomosis is a surgical procedure that establishes communication between two formerly distant portions of the intestine. 

Jiakang Yu, Guangdong Women and Children's Hospital, Guangdong, China, and colleagues aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of early enteral feeding following intestinal anastomosis in neonates with congenital gastrointestinal malformation.

For the purpose, the researchers conducted a multicenter, prospective, randomized controlled trial between 2018 and 2019. Four centers in China analyzed 156 newborns of congenital gastrointestinal malformation undergoing intestinal anastomosis. They were randomized to either EEN group (n = 78) or control (C) group (n = 78).