Nutritional Factors Associated with Late-Onset Sepsis in Very Low Birth Weight Newborns

BACKGROUND: Delayed onset of minimal enteral nutrition compromises the immune response of preterm infants, increasing the risk of colonization and clinical complications (e.g., late-onset sepsis). This study aimed to analyze associations between late-onset sepsis in very low birth weight infants (14 days), and extrauterine growth restriction presented 4.24-fold, 4.86-fold, and 4.90-fold higher chance of late-onset sepsis, respectively. CONCLUSION: Very low birth weight infants with late-onset sepsis had prolonged parenteral nutrition and took longer to reach full enteral nutrition. They also presented a higher prevalence of extrauterine growth restriction than infants without late-onset sepsis.