Feeding the premature infant

Nutritional management of the premature infant has become an integral part of the medical care provided to these infants. With the ever increasing survival of low-birthweight and very-low-birth-weight infants, understanding the principles of nutritional therapy becomes all the more important. It is estimated that there are four million births in the United States every year; with an estimated prematurity rate of 9%, the number of infants requiring such management is enormous. This section focuses on nutritional goals, nutrient requirements, and enteral and parenteral routes of nutritional therapy.