Minimal enteral nutrition.

Although parenteral nutrition has been used widely in the management of sick very low birth weight infants, a smooth transition to the enteral route is most desirable. Trophic feeding is the practice of feeding small volume of enteral feeds in order to stimulate the development of the immature gastrointestinal tract of the preterm infant. This practice has also been termed as minimal enteral nutrition (MEN). MEN improves gastrointestinal enzyme activity, hormone release, blood flow, motility and microbial flora. Clinical benefits include improved milk tolerance, greater postnatal growth, reduced systemic sepsis and shorter hospital stay. There is currently no evidence of any adverse effects following MEN. MEN can be commenced in neonates on ventilation and total parenteral nutrition. A protocol of giving MEN has been presented here.