Table 6
Feeding details in studies of erythromycin as a prokinetic agent in preterm neonates
| Study | Type | Method | Increments | Definition of feed intolerance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| *Study presented as abstract,30,31 paper not published yet. | ||||
| EBM, Expressed breast milk; NG, nasogastric. | ||||
| Patole et al24 | EBM/preterm formula | Intragastric 1–2 hourly bolus feeds; prone, head elevation position | Maximum 24 ml/kg/day | Bile stained gastric residuals, abdominal distension, vomiting |
| Stenson et al25 | EBM | Intragastric hourly bolus feeds | 1 ml until full feeds | Not defined clearly; net enteral balance was assessed: NG feed volume minus the NG aspirate volume |
| Oei & Lui26 | EBM/formula | Intragastric 2 hourly bolus feeds | ⩽30 ml/kg/day | Abdominal distension; repeated large aspirates; gastric residuals >30% of previous 6 hours of feeds |
| Ng et al27 | EBM/preterm formula | Intragastric hourly bolus feeds | 0.5–1 ml/h/day | Vomiting >twice in 24 h; gastric residuals >50% of previous 4 h on two occasions within a day; repeated regurgitations; suspected NEC or aspiration pneumonia |
| ElHennawy et al29 | EBM/preterm formula | Intragastric bolus feeds | 20 ml/kg/day | Severe abdominal distension (>15% of baseline abdominal girth); gastric residuals >25% of fed volume; frank blood in stools |
| Ng et al28 | EBM/preterm milk formula | Intragastric bolus feeds; continuous feeds if 50% of bolus feeds not tolerated 2 weeks after starting feeds; prone, head elevated position | <10 ml/kg/day during first week <20 ml/kg/day later | Vomiting >twice in 24 h; gastric residuals >25% of preceding 4 h on two occasions; repeated regurgitations; suspected NEC or aspiration pneumonia |
| *Cairns et al30,31 | Not available | Not available | Not available | Not available |
