XP: FDA Alert: DO NOT feed SimplyThick to premature Infants

weezie825

I am not sure if this has been previously posted, if you have already seen this I apologize for duplication.  I scanned the page quickly and didn't see anything.

CDC issued a Health Alert stating that the FDA is recommending that SimplyThick not be feed to premature infants 

_____________________________________________

Excerp:

Do not feed the thickening product called SimplyThick to infants born before 37 weeks because it may cause a life-threatening condition.

This advice to parents, caregivers, and health care providers from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is based on reports of infants with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in which tissue in the intestines becomes inflamed and dies.

SimplyThick is a brand of thickening agent?available to consumers and medical centers?to help manage swallowing difficulties. It is sold in packets of individual servings and in 64-ounce dispenser bottles. The product can be purchased from distributors and local pharmacies throughout the United States.

Benson M. Silverman, M.D., director of FDA?s Infant Formula and Medical Foods Staff?himself a neonatologist?explains that the thickening agent is added to breast milk and infants? formula to help the premature babies swallow their food and keep it down, without spitting up. The product is also used in older children and adults with swallowing problems caused by trauma to the throat, he notes.

Source:

https://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm256250.htm

Press Release:

https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm256253.htm

njdcgirl

Thanks for posting.  I think someone did post it a few days ago as well.

The two cases where preemies died were from my NICU, and I knew both families, so this hits close to home.  It makes me so sad (and thankful - my son was on simply thick for months...)  Hopefully they will figure out if/what in the simply thick caused issues.  My NICU had used it for years without any issues, then a bunch of cases all happened at the same time.  Scary.

kaylaaimee

oh my goodness. My NICU called me the other day to ask if I'd been using with with Scarlette since we got home- they wondered if her GI dr had put her on it. I told them no but I guess this is why they were calling me.

In related news- I my NICU for being so amazing and following up with us on things like that. 

CharBart

My Dr was just talking to us about this and about how she has never recommended it to her patients.  She had us use rice cereal in their bottles to help keep it down.  So glad she didn't tell us to use this product!