Sodium Supplementation and Growth in Very Low Birth Weight Infants
Status:
Terminated
Trial end date:
2011-01-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Adequate growth during the neonatal period is critical for optimal long term outcomes.
Despite maximal calorie intake, sixty percent of very low birth weight infants still fail to
thrive suggesting that factors other than total calorie intake are important in ensuring
consistent weight gain. Several reports have indicated a positive sodium balance is critical
in ensuring good weight gain in very low birth weight infants, however these infants are
susceptible to low serum sodium concentrations. Urine sodium values are sometimes used to
diagnosis of hyponatremia or negative sodium balance after the first two weeks of life, but
there is no evidence for this practice in preterm neonates. Our central hypothesis is that
early supplementation with sodium will ensure positive sodium balance in very low birth
weight infants and will result in optimal weight gain and enhanced long term outcomes.
Secondarily we hypothesize that low sodium concentrations in the urine will not correlate
with low serum sodium values.