Clinical Research Directory

Trials included in our prior systematic review and traditional meta-analysis will be eligible for this IPD meta-analysis if they were registered randomized clinical trials of infants born preterm at less than 29 weeks of gestation and with adequate levels of blinding and allocation concealment. Moreover, eligibility will be restricted to trials conducted in a population of infants born after 2010 receiving contemporary respiratory care, similar to Jensen's cohort within which the severity-based definition of BPD was developed. The intervention has to involve enteral administration of high-dose DHA supplementation during the neonatal period. A high-dose DHA supplementation is defined as direct enteral DHA supplementation at a dose of at least 40 mg/kg/day or DHA supplementation of breast milk or formula aiming for at least 0.4% of total fatty acids. The intervention should be randomly assigned as either enteral administration of high-dose DHA supplementation OR a control with no or low-dose DHA. Trials evaluating intravenous DHA interventions or combined interventions (e.g. DHA combined to other nutrients or long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids) are not considered for inclusion in this IPD meta-analysis to isolate the DHA effects and avoid heterogeneity in the intervention. The IPD meta-analysis will be conducted using a harmonized severity-based definition of BPD in eligible trials. This definition will be based on Jensen's criteria that adequately predict childhood outcomes in a contemporary cohort of infants born very preterm. To be included, prospectively collected data from eligible trials should allow BPD severity outcome classification and harmonization according to Jensen's severity-based BPD criteria at 36 weeks' PMA.