Comparison of growth and morbidity outcomes in preterm infants using two different intravenous lipid emulsions

Abstract Objectives To compare growth z-scores and prematurity-related comorbidities for preterm infants receiving Soybean Oil-Intravenous Lipid Emulsion (SO-ILE) versus Soybean + Medium-chain triglycerides + Olive + Fish oil ILE (SMOF-ILE). Study design A multicenter, retrospective cohort study of 347 preterm infants <32 weeks’ gestational age with birth weight ≤1500 grams who received SO-ILE or SMOF-ILE for at least seven consecutive days. Results SO-ILE group ( n = 179) demonstrated significantly improved growth for length ( p ≤ 0.001) and head circumference z-scores ( p = 0.015) at 36 weeks’ postmenstrual age and significantly worse growth for weight z-scores at 1 month ( p = 0.017) compared to the SMOF-ILE group ( n = 168). SO-ILE group had significantly lower rates of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) ( p < 0.001) and urinary tract infections (UTI) ( p = 0.045). Conclusion In this population, SO-ILE had better outcomes for growth, BPD, and UTI compared to SMOF-ILE. Therefore, SO-ILE remains a reasonable lipid emulsion for preterm infants until more evidence is available.