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

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. 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.