Early enteral feeding versus traditional feeding in neonatal congenital gastrointestinal malformation undergoing intestinal anastomosis: A randomized multicenter controlled trial of an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) component

PURPOSE the aim of this clinical trial was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of early enteral feeding (EEN) following intestinal anastomosis in neonates with congenital gastrointestinal malformation. METHODS a multicenter, prospective, randomized controlled trial (registered under chictr.org.cn Identifier no.ChiCTR-INR-17014179) was conducted between 2018 and 2019. Four centers in China analyzed 156 newborns of congenital gastrointestinal malformation undergoing intestinal anastomosis to EEN group (n = 78) or control (C) group (n = 78). The primary outcomes of this study were length of postoperative stay (LOPS) and time to full feeds. Secondary outcomes included morbidity of complications, parenteral nutrition (PN) duration, feeding intolerance, 30 day mortality rate and 30 day readmission rate. RESULTS the mean time to full feeds and LOPS in the EEN group were 15.0 (9.8-22.8) days and 17.6 (12.0-29.8) days, while that were 18.0 (12.0-24.0) days and 20.0 (15.0-30.3) days in C groups respectively. There was no significant difference between two groups(P >0.05). No significant intergroup difference was found with respect to postoperative morbidity, PN duration or feeding intolerance(P >0.05). CONCLUSIONS early enteral feeding following intestinal anastomosis in neonates with congenital gastrointestinal malformation is safe. Post-operative outcomes demonstrated a trend toward improvement. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Level Ⅰ.