Gastric Residual Volume Linked to Gastric Fluid pH in Infants with Very Low Birth Weight

Limited information exists regarding the correlation between gastric residual volume and gastric fluid pH before feedings in infants with very low birth weight. The purpose of this study was to evaluate this relationship in infants with feeding tolerance compared with that in those with feeding intolerance. A total of 86 infants with very low birth weight were included in the study, including 43 with feeding tolerance (study group) and 43 with feeding intolerance (control group). Gastric residual volume was obtained using a feeding tube and acidity measured using a pH-test paper. The gastric fluid pH was measured before each feeding in both the groups and compared. Demographic and clinical characteristics were similar between very low birth weight infants with and without feeding intolerance. Significant differences were observed in the gastric fluid pH between groups (p < 0.05). The gastric fluid pH value significantly increased with increasing gastric residual volume in a linear fashion (Pearson correlation = 0.543; P < 0.05). There is a positive linear correlation between gastric residual volume and gastric juice pH value in infants with very low birth weight.