Saline Enema Administration in Meconium Obstruction of Prematurity and Impact on the Resolution, Feeds, Microbiome, and Gut-brain Axis.

Official title

The Administration of Saline Enema Versus Glycerin Suppository as a Treatment Intervention for Meconium Obstruction of Prematurity (MOP) and to Study the Impact on the Resolution of MOP, Time to Reach Full Enteral Feeds, Gut Microbiome, and Gut-brain Axis, a Randomised Control Trial.

Overview

The goal of this clinical trial is to study the effect of twice-daily saline enema (SE) in the treatment obstruction of prematurity (MOP) in infants with the birth weight ≤1.25kg. The main questions, the trial aims to answer are 1. To validate the finding of our pilot study which had shown that twice-daily SE reduces the time to reach full enteral feeds in premature infant as compared to premature infant treated with Glycerine Suppository (GS), in a larger cohort. Infant with MOP fails to pass meconium in the first 48 hours of life and develop symptoms and signs like abdominal distension and feed intolerance. 2. The other aims of this study are to test whether the intervention is 1. Effective treatment for MOP 2. Reduce the duration of ICU stay 3. Reduce the rate of necrotizing enterocolitis, sepsis, Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) days and number of intravenous catheter days 3. The study also wants to explore the impact of this intervention on the gut microbiome, gut-brain interaction and immune response of the new-born.

Detailed description

Very low birth weight infants (VLBW ≤ 1.5 kg) constitute more than 60% of bed occupancy in level III neonatal units. They face the risk of 10-50% long-term disability, and their initial healthcare cost ranges from S$50,000 to 1 million, an important healthcare issue.

The incidence of meconium obstruction of prematurity (MOP) is 20-30% in extremely low birth weight (ELBW ≤ 1 kg) infants. The intervention based on the current standard of care increase the risk of laparotomy necrotizing enterocolitis, intestinal perforation, and neurodevelopmental risks posed by general anaesthesia. Our published pilot RCT demonstrated that saline enema (SE) is an effective, feasible, and safe intervention to reduce the time to reach full enteral feeds and is a potentially effective treatment for MOP in ELBW (\< 1 kg) infants.

Our primary hypothesis is that Infants with Twice-daily high-volume SE (20-40 ml/kg/day) intervention will result in reduced time to reach full enteral feeds compared to infants treated with conventional management with Glycerin suppository (GS) in (≤1.25kg) infants with MOP. Our exploratory hypothesis is that SE will have a protective effect on the gut microbiome, inflammatory and immune response in preterm infants.

Ninety-five infants born over three years in KK Hospital (KKH) and Singapore General Hospital (SGH) will be enrolled and randomized at 48 hours or later to receive SE or GS. The standardized protocol will be used for the accreditation and administration of SE. Primary, secondary, and exploratory outcomes data, including treatment failure data, will be recorded. Infants will be followed up to 36 weeks of gestation or discharge, whichever is earlier. Maternal and infant characteristics, inflammatory and immune response, and safety outcome data will be collected.

If the findings of our pilot trial are confirmed, the protocol can become the standard of care in preterm infants with MOP. Additionally, significant healthcare cost savings will be realized alongside an improved understanding of the Microbiome, immune and inflammatory response pertaining to the gut.

Interventions

• Procedure Saline Enema (SE)
  infant who allocated with intervention group will proceed with SE with normal saline (20-40ml/kg twice daily) at 48 hours of age. Then continue until 2 days of yellow stools/ 110ml/kg/day of oral feeds; whichever is earlier. SE are recommended if baby do not do bowel opening (BO) for 2 days before reaching full feeds Failure to resolve the MOP with SE will be designated as treatment failure and managed with contrast enema or Laparotomy by paediatric surgeons, following a formal referral.GS is
• Drug Glycerin Suppository
  Infants randomized to GS received the standard management protocol for meconium retention in the unit. GS (2,000 mg, a quarter unit, four doses 12 h apart) were administered to infants earliest at 48 hour to 72 hours of birth, with subsequent once-daily GS being administered at the discretion of the managing team. Infants who were diagnosed with meconium obstruction later in the first 2 weeks of life were also treated with glycerin suppositories for 48 hrs, with subsequent once-daily GS being ad

Primary outcome measures

• Time to reach full enteral feeds in days [Time frame: Before 36 weeks of corrected age of discharge of the infant]

Secondary outcome measures (4)

• Rate of treatment failure [Time frame: Before 36 weeks of corrected age of discharge of the infant]
• Rate of (a) Culture positive sepsis (b) Necrotising enterocolitis. [Time frame: Before 36 weeks of corrected age of discharge of the infant]
• Duration in days of (a) ICU stay (b) Total parenteral nutrition (c) PICC days. [Time frame: Before 36 weeks of corrected age of discharge of the infant]
• Overall cost of care calculated in SGD at the time of discharge [Time frame: Before 36 weeks of corrected age of discharge of the infant]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria

• Criteria A: For infant presenting with early onset of MOP

• Birth weight 500 - 1250 gram
• ≥ 23 weeks gestation
• No BO for 48 hours
• BO present but with a small amount or stain of meconium
• Feeds intolerance or abdominal X-ray showing dilated loops of bowel
• Criteria B: For infant presenting with Late onset of MOP

• Birth weight 500 - 1250 gram
• ≥ 23 weeks gestation
• Infants who passed meconium initially and develop evidence of meconium obstruction at a later age (feed intolerance or vomiting and abnormal abdominal X-ray with or without abdominal distension)

Exclusion criteria

Infants that:

• Neuromuscular disorder
• Moderate or severe asphyxia
• Inability to start enteral feeding, which continued for 3 consecutive days before 2 weeks of post-natal age for reasons unrelated to meconium inspissation or its complication
• Without parental consent
• Aggravated medical instability
• Single mothers < 21 years

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: Yes

Study design

Allocation

Randomized

Model

Parallel assignment

Masking

Open label

Primary purpose

Treatment

Study locations

Singapore · 2 centers

• Singapore General Hospital — Singapore
• KK Women's and Children Hospital — Singapore

Publications

• Unger A, Goetzman BW, Chan C, Lyons AB 3rd, Miller MF. Nutritional practices and outcome of extremely premature infants. Am J Dis Child. 1986 Oct;140(10):1027-33. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.1986.02140240073029. PMID 3092638
• Chathas MK, Paton JB, Fisher DE. Percutaneous central venous catheterization. Three years' experience in a neonatal intensive care unit. Am J Dis Child. 1990 Nov;144(11):1246-50. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.1990.02150350078030. PMID 2239866
• Stoll BJ, Gordon T, Korones SB, Shankaran S, Tyson JE, Bauer CR, Fanaroff AA, Lemons JA, Donovan EF, Oh W, Stevenson DK, Ehrenkranz RA, Papile LA, Verter J, Wright LL. Late-onset sepsis in very low birth weight neonates: a report from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network. J Pediatr. 1996 Jul;129(1):63-71. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(96)70191-9. PMID 8757564
• Shim SY, Kim HS, Kim DH, Kim EK, Son DW, Kim BI, Choi JH. Induction of early meconium evacuation promotes feeding tolerance in very low birth weight infants. Neonatology. 2007;92(1):67-72. doi: 10.1159/000100804. Epub 2007 Mar 14. PMID 17356305
• Krasna IH, Rosenfeld D, Salerno P. Is it necrotizing enterocolitis, microcolon of prematurity, or delayed meconium plug? A dilemma in the tiny premature infant. J Pediatr Surg. 1996 Jun;31(6):855-8. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3468(96)90153-0. PMID 8783123
• Emil S, Nguyen T, Sills J, Padilla G. Meconium obstruction in extremely low-birth-weight neonates: guidelines for diagnosis and management. J Pediatr Surg. 2004 May;39(5):731-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2004.01.027. PMID 15137008
• Haiden N, Norooz F, Klebermass-Schrehof K, Horak AS, Jilma B, Berger A, Repa A. The effect of an osmotic contrast agent on complete meconium evacuation in preterm infants. Pediatrics. 2012 Dec;130(6):e1600-6. doi: 10.1542/peds.2011-3634. Epub 2012 Nov 26. PMID 23184118
• Broussard DL. Gastrointestinal motility in the neonate. Clin Perinatol. 1995 Mar;22(1):37-59. PMID 7781255

Identifiers

NCT: NCT06048614 · 2023/2270

Primary sources (government registries)

• ClinicalTrials.gov (US NIH)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗