Abstract:Objective To explore the relationship between early enteral feeding and the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in preterm infants.Methods A total of 160 preterm infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of Heze Municipal Hospital between January 2020 and December 2023 were included. The infants were categorized into the BPD group (n =110) and the non-BPD group (n =50) based on the presence of BPD. Clinical data and early enteral feeding characteristics were compared between the two groups. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the factors influencing the development of BPD in preterm infants. A nomogram was established, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed.Results The BPD group had significantly lower gestational age and Apgar scores than the non-BPD group (P <0.05). The proportions of mechanical ventilation ≥7 days, carbapenem antibiotic use, pulmonary surfactant use, and oxygen therapy duration were higher in the BPD group (P <0.05). The time to reach full enteral feeding, final full enteral feeding time, and start of enteral feeding were significantly longer in the BPD group, while daily enteral feeding volume and total caloric intake were lower (P <0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified the following risk factors for BPD (P < 0.05): lower gestational age [O^R =0.546 (95% CI: 0.314, 0.947)], mechanical ventilation ≥7 days [O^R =1.697 (95% CI: 1.022, 2.816)], carbapenem antibiotic use [O^R =1.879 (95% CI: 1.100, 3.211)], prolonged oxygen therapy [O^R =2.080 (95% CI: 1.231, 3.514)], delayed achievement of full enteral feeding [O^R =2.639 (95% CI: 1.343, 5.184)], lower enteral feeding volume [O^R =0.469 (95% CI: 0.257, 0.854)], and delayed initiation of enteral feeding [O^R =2.036 (95% CI: 1.039, 3.988)]. ROC curve analysis demonstrated that the sensitivities of delayed full enteral feeding time, enteral feeding volume, delayed start of enteral feeding, and the combined prediction for BPD were 84.5% (95% CI: 0.754, 0.900), 80.0% (95% CI: 0.713, 0.870), 53.6% (95% CI: 0.430, 0.623), and 91.8% (95% CI: 0.850, 0.962), respectively, while their specificities were 78.0% (95% CI: 0.640, 0.885), 80.0% (95% CI: 0.663, 0.900), 78.0% (95% CI: 0.640, 0.885), and 80.0% (95% CI: 0.663, 0.900). The areas under the curve (AUC) were 0.832, 0.831, 0.687, and 0.881, respectively, with the combined prediction showing the highest performance.Conclusion Early enteral feeding is associated with the occurrence of BPD in preterm infants.