Comparison of weight gaining of Very Low Birth Weight (VLBW) neonates who intake 10% and 12.5% dextrose serum in NICU wards of Ali Asghar and Akbar Abadi hospitals from May to December, 2020

Considering the importance of prematurity and weight gain in long-term health outcomes, lack of an agreement on parenteral nutrition diets for Very Low Birth Weight (VLBW) neonates, and role of glucose in nutrition, this study investigates the effect of increasing calories by adding glucose intake on weight gain in premature neonates.

A parallel-group, blinded, phase 3 clinical trial design of 82 patients who were divided into intervention and control groups sequentially.

The clinical trial will be conducted on VLBW neonates in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Ali Asghar, Akbar Abadi, and FiroozAbadi from May to December 2020. All the neonates will receive Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN). While neonates in the intervention group will intake 12.5% DW, those in the control group will intake 10% DW. Birth weight and neonate's weight in the fifth, seventh, tenth, and fifteenth days after birth will be recorded by a specific scale. We consider the length of hospitalization and the date on which the neonate will be released. The daily calories intaken will be calculated based on TPN, serum volume (until neonate meet 150cc/kg), and breastfeed (if applies). The procedure will be continued until samples reach their birth weights, the duration that is used as the primary criterion for efficacy.

Inclusion criteria: one-to-thirty-day neonates with birth weights lower than 1500g Exclusion criteria: Septic neonates, due to probable undesired interventions

Neonates, who meet inclusion criteria, receive Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) and will intake 10% and 12.5% dextrose water (DW) serum. Then, we compare the weight gaining of neonates intaken 12.5% DW with those intaken 10% DW.

Birth weight; Days receiving TPN; Steroid before birth; Surfactant, Daily weight; Invasive ventilation duration

Before sample inclusion, parents are provided with a detailed description of the clinical trial and are informed about dextrose serum dose. Considering the fact that samples of the trial are neonates, they have no understanding of the dosage and hence are blinded.