Table 3 Forty-eight-hour adverse events
Adverse event | Definition |
|---|---|
Apnea | Cessation of breathing for more than 20 s, or a shorter pause accompanied by bradycardia (< 100 beats per minute) and/or oxygen desaturation [19] |
Increased gastric residuals | An aspirated amount of > 2 ml/Kg or > 50% of the previous feeding volume from the stomach, following administration of enteral feeding, as evaluated in preterm infants who are being fed via an orogastric or nasogastric tube [20, 21] |
Inhibited duodenal motor activity | Lower duodenal motility during fasting [22] |
Delayed gastric emptying | Large gastric residual volumes associated with enteral feeding as a result of gastroparesis or delayed gastric emptying [21] |
Feeding intolerance | Inability to digest enteral feedings, associated with increased gastric residuals, abdominal distension, and/or emesis [23]. If the combination of the above phenomena is observed, this will constitute diagnosis of feeding intolerance; otherwise these phenomena will be annotated individually |
Abdominal distension | An actual increase in abdominal size and measurable change (≥ 2 cm) in abdominal girth [24] |
Vomiting | At least one episode of uncomfortable, involuntary, forceful throwing up of gastric content, as distinguished from spitting up that occurs because of rapid infant feeding, air swallowing, or overfeeding |
Paralytic ileus | Impaired motor activity of the bowel without the presence of a physical obstruction |
Acute gastric dilatation | Distension of abdomen with constant nasogastric aspirate and/or absence of gas in distal bowel along with the presence of dilated stomach radiographically, which is frequently associated with feeding intolerance or sometimes is associated with a surgical condition, e.g., necrotizing enterocolitis or bowel obstruction [21, 25]. |
Necrotizing enterocolitis | Bell’s stage ≥ II [26] |