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Early Nutrition and Heart Structure and Function in Preterm Infants During the First Year of Life
Sponsor: Assiut University
Summary
Preterm infants are babies born before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy. Early nutrition is important for their growth and development, and it may also be associated with how their heart develops and functions during infancy. This prospective observational study aims to investigate the association between early nutritional exposure during the neonatal period and cardiac structure and function at 12 months of corrected age in preterm infants. The study will be conducted at Assiut University Hospital and El-Eman General Hospital in Assiut, Egypt. Preterm infants born before 37 weeks of gestation who are admitted to the neonatal unit within 24 hours of birth, have adequate records of their nutritional intake, and whose parents provide written informed consent will be considered for participation. Infants with major congenital heart disease, known congenital cardiomyopathy, major genetic or chromosomal abnormalities, or other specified exclusion criteria will not be included. The study will collect information about maternal and neonatal characteristics, neonatal complications, feeding patterns, growth, and anthropometric measurements. Cardiac structure and function will be assessed using echocardiography at birth, 6 months, and approximately 12 months of corrected age. Growth measurements will also be recorded at different time points, including 12 months of corrected age. The study will compare cardiac measurements and growth outcomes among infants with different early nutritional exposures. It will also investigate which early nutritional and clinical factors are associated with left ventricular mass index at 12 months of corrected age. The findings may improve understanding of the relationship between early nutrition and cardiovascular development in preterm infants. Participation will involve clinical data collection, growth measurements, and echocardiographic assessments, with written informed consent obtained from parents or legal guardians.
Official title: Study the Association of Early Nutritional Exposure With Cardiac Structure and Function in Preterm Infants During the First Year of Life: A Prospective Study
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
1 Year - 18 Months
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
117
Start Date
2026-12-01
Completion Date
2027-12-30
Last Updated
2026-10-23
Healthy Volunteers
No
Conditions
Interventions
echocardiography
Echocardiography is performed at Birth , 6 months and after 12 months corrected age (±2 weeks) by a single trained pediatric cardiologist blinded to the feeding group. The following parameters will be reported: * Cardiac structure: LV end-diastolic and end-systolic dimensions, septal and posterior wall thickness, LV mass index, relative wall thickness, LV sphericity index, left atrial size, RV basal dimension, and aortic root. * Cardiac function: LV ejection fraction, and global longitudinal strain; mitral E/A, septal and lateral e', E/e', and IVRT; TAPSE, tricuspid S', RV fractional area change, and RV free-wall strain; pulmonary acceleration time, and septal configuration. Note any PFO or PDA is incidental finding.