Abstract
Objective To study the characteristics of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants receiving glycerin
suppositories (GS) and evaluate the association of GS use with outcomes.
Study Design This is a retrospective study of VLBW infants admitted to a level III neonatal intensive
care unit. Infants with birth weight between 500 and 1,499 g were evaluated. We evaluated
the frequency of GS use and compared the characteristics and outcomes of the GS group
with the no-GS group. Multivariate analyses controlling for gestational age and small
for gestational age status were performed to study the effect of GS on outcomes.
Results A total of 1,073 infants were included in the study. Out of those, 527 (49.1%) infants
received GS. Incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis was not significantly different
between the two groups, while days to reach full enteral feeds and length of hospital
stay were significantly longer in the GS group.
Conclusion Frequent use of GS warrants further prospective studies to evaluate its safety and
efficacy in view of our study showing association with longer time to reach full enteral
feeds. We speculate that GS use could be a marker for gastrointestinal dysmotility
and hence the association with unfavorable clinical outcomes.
Keywords
glycerin suppositories - feeding intolerance - preterm infants - necrotizing enterocolitis
