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UK Wedding News

26/09/2013

'Sugar Gel' Could Help Premature Babies

A new study has claimed that a dextrose gel should be used to treat low blood sugars in newborns.

The research, which was carried out by the University of Auckland and was published in medical journal, The Lancet, said that low blood sugar or neonatal hypoglycaemia is a common problem that affects up to 15% of otherwise healthy babies and is a preventable cause of brain damage, study leader Professor Jane Harding said.

The research was carried out at the University's Liggins Institute and at Waikato Women's Hospital in Hamilton where PhD student and Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Deborah Harris recruited the families involved.

Professor Harding said: "Our study is the first report in babies showing that dextrose gel massaged into the inside of the cheek is more effective than feeding alone for treating hypoglycaemia, and is safe and simple to use.

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"Dextrose gel treatment costs roughly $2 (£1) per baby and could help reduce admissions to neonatal intensive care for treatment with intravenous glucose—not only reducing costs but importantly, keeping mothers and babies together to encourage breastfeeding."

Dextrose gel is already used to reverse hypoglycaemia in people with diabetes, but little evidence exists for its use in babies. Currently, treatment for late pre-term and term babies involves extra feeding.

"Dextrose gel can easily be made in the hospital pharmacy, and is stable at room temperature. Therefore, the gel could also be useful in resource-poor settings where hypoglycaemia is common and underdiagnosed.

“This is exciting, because the treatment is a simple, cheap and safe option that can be used anywhere," Professor Harding continued.

"It is a fantastic opportunity to decrease the amount of intervention and high tech treatments these babies need and so keep them out of intensive care and with their mothers."

Neil Marlow, from the Institute for Women's Health at University College London, said that although dextrose gel had fallen into disuse, these findings suggested it should be resurrected as a potential treatment.

He added: "We now have high quality evidence that it is of value and should be part of the response to triggering treatment."

(JP/CD)

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"A new study has claimed that a dextrose gel should be used to treat low blood sugars in newborns."