Study Status: Recruiting
Recruit Status: Recruiting
Study Type: Interventional
Official Title: A Double-Blind, Controlled, Randomized Clinical Trial of the Effect of Early L-Carnitine Supplementation on Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Very Preterm Infants
Brief Summary: Preterm infants are vulnerable to brain injury, nutritional deficiencies and poor early growth which places them at increased risk for developmental problems later in life. The micronutrient carnitine, which is present in breast milk and stored in the fetus late in pregnancy, has been shown to protect against brain injury in animal studies. Without supplementation, almost all preterm infants develop carnitine deficiency soon after birth. Thus it is important to determine if carnitine supplementation protects against brain injury and improves developmental outcomes in these vulnerable preterm infants. We hypothesize that preterm infants supplemented early with L-carnitine while receiving parenteral nutrition will not develop carnitine deficiency and will have improved growth in the first two weeks of life and higher scores on developmental tests when compared to control infants who did not receive carnitine.