Determination of the Effect of High-Dose Intralipid in Compared to Its Gradual Dose in Very Low Birth Weight Newborns: A Case-control Study

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of high dose intralipid in compared to its gradual dose in very low birth weight newborns in Iran.

Methods: This study was a case-control study that conducted on 104 very low birth weight infants (<1500 g) referred to Akbarabadi hospital of Tehran (Iran) in 2016. The infants were randomly assigned to two groups (case group: 52 vs. control group: 52). The control group received intralipid 20% with a dose of 1 g/kg/24 h in the first and second day of the study, then from 3rd day to 3 g/kg /24h was raised. But, the case group received 3 g/kg/24 h of intralipid 20% from the first day and continued until the end of the study. In both groups, the study lasted for up to 30 days. Data were collected and analyzed using SPSS22 software. Also P-Value <0.05 was considered as a significant level.

Results: The results showed mean daily weight gain in case group is higher than control group and this difference was significant statistically (P-Value < 0.05). Also, although the mean of blood sugar, triglyceride, HCO3, the number of positive blood culture and the number of positive CPR in case group were higher than control group, but these differences were not statistically significant (P-Value >0.05).

Conclusion: Given that the better and faster growth of newborns in the intralipid group with high-dose in compared to intralipid group with gradual dose, the use of higher initial doses is recommended in newborns with very low birth weight.