OBJECTIVE:Currently blood urea nitrogen (BUN) is commonly used as a marker of protein intolerance in very preterm infants. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between amino-acid intakes and BUN concentrations during the early neonatal period in preterm neonates.
STUDY DESIGN:Retrospective review of BUN concentration data from 121 infants with birthweight r1250 g receiving exclusive parenteral nutrition over the first 72 hours of life.
RESULTS:There were 136 separate BUN concentration values. Amino-acid intake range was 0 to 3.7 g kg À1 day À1 and nonprotein calorie intake range was 15 to 45 kcal kg À1 d À1 . There was no correlation between BUN concentration and amino-acid intake (p ¼ 0.2 and r 2 ¼ 0.01).
CONCLUSIONS:In parenterally nourished preterm neonates amino-acid intake is not correlated with BUN concentration in the first days of life. Therefore, limiting amino-acid intake based on BUN concentration is not warranted in this patient population.
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