Neonatal Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) Management Trial (GMT)

The overall purpose of the investigator's study is to evaluate the causes of and treatment for feeding difficulty in infants with Gastro-esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). New treatments can be possible only if the cause is known. Many infants have GERD and feeding difficulties, such as sucking and swallowing problems, vomiting, or delayed emptying of the stomach. Some of these infants have difficulty in protecting their airway during feeding or during reflux, and as a result can breathe fluid into their lungs or hold their breath. Most GERD treatments are done based on experience, but there is no scientific proof that these methods work for infants. GERD and feeding difficulties can lead to longer hospitalization and more stress for the family. In this clinical trial, the investigators are developing new methods to help with diagnosis as well as defining better treatment strategies in relieving GERD and GERD complications.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and its troublesome complications constitute serious diagnostic and management challenges to the development of safe feeding and airway protection strategies among infants convalescing in the neonatal intensive care units; thus contributing to prolonged lengths of stay, recurrent hospitalizations, and death. GERD is frequently diagnosed by inadequate criteria, and the relative risks, benefits and indications of GERD therapies are unclear. Significant gaps in knowledge exist in understanding the complex causal or adaptive aerodigestive protective reflex mechanisms implicated in GERD in infants. The long-term goal is to improve digestive health, nutrition, and infant development through the design of simplified personalized treatment paradigms by better understanding the pathophysiology of aerodigestive reflexes. The current objective is to conduct a prospective single center randomized blinded controlled trial comparing the short term effects of the investigators innovative feeding strategy bundle (study approach) versus standard feeding approach (conventional approach).

Treated with omeprazole. This group of subjects will have prescribed restricted feeding volumes, monitored feeding duration time and positioning restrictions

Treated with omeprazole. This group of subjects will receive the current standard treatment for Gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) which includes use of acid suppressive medication with no restrictions of the feeding volume, duration or positioning.

Omeprazole 0.5-1.5 milligrams/kilogram/dose twice a day (BID) Total fluid volume restriction (120-140 milliliters/kilogram/day) Feeding duration over 30 minutes Infant feeds with right side down Infant is placed on back following feeds

The primary endpoint is the feeding success defined as achieving full oral feeds (defined as no need for tube feeds to maintain hydration and nutrition) and/or a >/= 6 point decrease from baseline symptom score as described by the Infant-Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Questionnaire-Revised. The minimum score is 0 (no symptoms) and the maximum score is 42 (maximum symptoms). Any total score greater than or equal to 16 is considered abnormal.

This is part of Aim 2 of this RCT, which is a mechanistic outcome designed to understand the reasons for the clinical outcome. Presence of peristaltic reflex mechanisms elicited upon esophageal provocation during esophageal manometry were compared within the groups, week-5 vs. week-0. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence interval (CI) are reported from Generalized Estimation Equation models.

Inclusion Criteria: Hospitalized infants with aerodigestive or GERD symptoms Gestational age ≤42 weeks Premature infants are eligible at 34 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA) Enteral or Oral Fed Average daily total feeding volume ≥ 150ml/kg/day Room air or supplemental oxygen of ≤1 liter/minute (LPM) and/or ≤ 35% by nasal cannula Exclusion Criteria: Known genetic, metabolic or syndromic disease Neurological diseases such as Grade 3 or 4 intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) or intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) and perinatal asphyxia Gastrointestinal malformations and surgical gastrointestinal conditions

Jadcherla SR, Hasenstab KA, Wei L, Osborn EK, Viswanathan S, Gulati IK, Slaughter JL, Di Lorenzo C. Role of feeding strategy bundle with acid-suppressive therapy in infants with esophageal acid reflux exposure: a randomized controlled trial. Pediatr Res. 2021 Feb;89(3):645-652. doi: 10.1038/s41390-020-0932-4. Epub 2020 May 7.

Sultana Z, Hasenstab KA, Moore RK, Osborn EK, Yildiz VO, Wei L, Slaughter JL, Jadcherla SR. Symptom Scores and pH-Impedance: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial in Infants Treated for Gastroesophageal Reflux. Gastro Hep Adv. 2022;1(5):869-881. doi: 10.1016/j.gastha.2022.06.004. Epub 2022 Jun 20.

Jadcherla SR, Hasenstab KA, Gulati IK, Helmick R, Ipek H, Yildiz V, Wei L. Impact of Feeding Strategies With Acid Suppression on Esophageal Reflexes in Human Neonates With Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: A Single-Blinded Randomized Clinical Trial. Clin Transl Gastroenterol. 2020 Nov;11(11):e00249. doi: 10.14309/ctg.0000000000000249.