Folic Acid Supplementation to Reduce Anemia in Extremely Preterm Infants

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY · Jan 22, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

The FACINATE trial is studying whether giving extra folic acid can help improve hemoglobin levels and reduce the need for blood transfusions in extremely preterm infants, who are babies born at less than 29 weeks of pregnancy. Anemia of Prematurity (AOP) is a common condition in these infants, and folic acid is important for their growth and development. While many doctors already recommend folic acid supplements, there isn’t enough evidence to know if they truly help prevent AOP. This trial aims to fill that gap by testing how effective additional folic acid might be for these vulnerable babies.

To be eligible for the trial, infants must be born before 29 weeks of gestation and be at least 14 days old. They also need to be receiving a certain amount of nutrition through feeding. However, infants with serious birth defects or ongoing bleeding issues will not be included in the study. Participants in the trial will be monitored closely to see if the extra folic acid makes a difference in their health. This study is important because it could help establish better guidelines for caring for extremely preterm infants and potentially reduce the reliance on blood transfusions.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Infants born at \<29 weeks of gestational age admitted to Foothill Medical Centre.
• • Postnatal age 14 days.
• • On minimum enteral feeding of 100 mL/kg/day
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Infants with major congenital or chromosomal anomalies
• • Infants with ongoing pulmonary or gastroenterology hemorrhage by 14 days of life.