Effect of Induction of Early Meconium Evacuation using Glycerin Suppositories in Promoting Feeding Tolerance in Low Birth Weight Infants

Objective: To determine the effect of Induction of early meconium evacuation using glycerin suppository in promoting feeding tolerance in low birth weight infants. Methodology:  This quasi-experimental study was conducted in the Department of Neonatology at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad. A total of 120 neonates were included in both groups of the study. The control group received standard treatment, while the intervention group received standard treatment along with glycerin suppository. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 26. The independent sample t-test was used to compare the time to achieve full feed and the time to achieve complete evacuation of meconium between the two groups. A p-value of 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The mean gestational age was 30.30±1.19 weeks. Out of 240, 127 (52.9%) neonates were male. All neonates included in the study have a very low birth weight range from 1 to 1.6 kg with a mean weight of 1.32±1.29 kg. The intervention group showed a significant low time to achieve full feed and low time to achieve complete evacuation of meconium 11.21±1.54 and 4.99±1.16 days as compared to the control group 12.73±1.46 and 5.97±1.1 days, with p value 0.000. Conclusion: Glycerin suppository helps to reduce the time to achieve full evacuation of meconium.