Human Breastmilk Feeding in Necrotising Enterocolitis Patients With Surgical Treatment A Retrospective Chart Review Study

Background: One of the surgical treatments for necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) is to resect the necrotic bowel and defunction the gut by stoma, which can come with severe complications impacting infant growth. Human breastmilk feeding has been proved to prevent NEC, world-widely. This study is to identify whether human breastmilk could reduce the incidence of stoma related complications in NEC patients after primary surgery. Methods: A retrospective chart review was done on patients who had intestine resection and stoma for NEC in the period from 2015-1-1 to 2021-4-30 at Anhui Provincial Children’s Hospital (APCH). Demographics, feeding methods (human milk feeding versus formula milk feeding) and stoma related complications were collected, and the factors, potentially associated with stoma related complications, were analysed. Results: A total of 58 patients, including 35 males and 23 females, had stoma for NEC. The mean gestational age was 34 weeks (28 to 40). The mean body weight at surgery was 2.83kg (1.03 to 4.80). Before surgery, 38 patients had perforation. Additionally, 46 patients had ileostomy; 12 had colostomy. After primary operation, 40 of them were fed with human breastmilk while 18 of them were fed with formula milk. 26 of 58 patients had stoma related complications, including fluid/electronic imbalance, stoma prolapse, and stoma stenosis. Feeding methods and gestational age were found significantly related to stoma related complications via a binary logistical multivariable analysis. Conclusions: In this study, the most frequent stoma related complication was fluid/electronic imbalance. Younger gestational age was identified as a risk factor associated with stoma related complications; human breastmilk feeding can benefit patients against these complications.