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Perinatal/Neonatal Case Presentation

Development of necrotizing enterocolitis in premature infants receiving thickened feeds using SimplyThick®

Journal of Perinatology volume 32, pages 150–152 (2012)Cite this article

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Abstract

SimplyThick®(ST) has been safely used as a thickener to treat adults who have dysphagia, but the safety of this product has not been studied in premature infants. Xanthan gum is the ingredient in ST that results in thickening and also is an effective laxative. We recently began using ST to treat premature infants with dysphagia and/or gastroesophageal reflux. We describe three cases of premature infants who developed necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) after they were fed ST. Unlike classic NEC, all three cases presented with late-onset colonic NEC.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr Michael O’Shea for his critical reading of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Brenner Children's Hospital, Winston Salem, NC, USA

    C W Woods, T Oliver, K Lewis & Q Yang

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Wake Forest Baptist Health, Winston Salem, NC, USA

    Q Yang

Authors
  1. C W Woods
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  2. T Oliver
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  3. K Lewis
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  4. Q Yang
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Correspondence to Q Yang.

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Woods, C., Oliver, T., Lewis, K. et al. Development of necrotizing enterocolitis in premature infants receiving thickened feeds using SimplyThick®. J Perinatol 32, 150–152 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2011.105

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2011.105

Keywords

  • necrotizing enterocolitis
  • dysphagia
  • premature infant
  • SimplyThick®
  • thickened feeds
  • xanthan gum

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