Extremely low birthweight infants: issues related to growth

Abstract

While survival rates are increasing in the extremely low birthweight (ELBW) group of preterm infants, the most common morbidity among these infants is inadequate growth. By the time of discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit, many ELBW infants develop extrauterine growth restriction. Several issues related to improving the growth of ELBW infants, including defining adequate growth and developing evidence-based nutritional strategies, are discussed in this article. Suggestions for future research are also presented.