USE OF HIGH-FAT FORMULA FOR PREMATURE-INFANTS WITH BRONCHOPULMONARY DYSPLASIA - METABOLIC, PULMONARY, AND NUTRITIONAL STUDIES

The use of dietary fat in preference to carbohydrate offers the theore tic advantage of diminishing carbon dioxide production and thus the re spiratory quotient, which may be beneficial for babies with chronic lu ng disease. Ten premature infants (birth weight (mean +/- SEM), 1.13 /- 0.12 kg; postnatal age, 9 +/- I weeks) with bronchopulmonary dyspla sia were alternately fed a high-fat and a high-carbohydrate formula ea ch for 1 week, in randomized order. Lower rates of carbon dioxide prod uction (6.6 +/- 0.3 versus 7.4 +/- 0.4 ml/kg per minute; p < 0.05), an d consequently lower respiratory quotients (0.80 +/- 0.02 versus 0.94 +/- 0.01 ml/kg per minute; p < 0.005), were observed during the admini stration of the high-fat formula. There were no significant difference s in results of pulmonary function tests with the use of either formul a. Both formulas were equally well tolerated and able to promote adequ ate growth and normal biochemical profiles. However, weight gain was s ignificantly greater with the administration of the high-carbohydrate formula, possibly because of an increase in the accretion of body fat. We conclude that the short-term use of high-fat formula for infants w ith bronchopulmonary dysplasia decreases carbon dioxide production whi le maintaining adequate growth and nutritional status.