Individualized Fortification of Breast Milk for Preterm Infants
Miami Neonatology 2018 — 42nd Annual International Conference

Mother’s breast milk is notably considered the gold standard for infants’ nutrition. However, Christoph Fusch, MD, PhD, discusses evidence that reveals the macronutrient composition from breast milk is variable and may not provide adequate nutrients for the essential growth and neurodevelopment needed in preterm infants. The challenge with enteral nutrition is determining how to achieve a healthy balance between appropriate nutritional intake while also reducing the risk of sepsis and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in preterm infants in order to achieve good growth and developmental outcomes. Dr. Fusch reviews the benefits and drawbacks of mother’s milk, donor milk, and fortified infant formula in premature infants, as well as evaluating the optimum composition of infant milk fortification.

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  Christoph Fusch, MD, PhD

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  Christoph Fusch, MD, PhD, is chief of the department of pediatrics at Nuremberg General Hospital and a professor of pediatrics at Paracelsus Medical School in Nuremberg, Germany. Dr. Fusch obtained his medical degree and pediatric training at the University of Tübingen in Germany, where he was awarded a doctorate after completing training in MR research and neonatology in Switzerland. 

  Dr. Fusch held a number of academic, clinical and research positions at hospitals and universities in Germany and Switzerland before joining the faculty of McMaster Children's Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario, one of Canada’s largest pediatric academic teaching hospitals. He was the inaugural holder of the Jack Sinclair Chair in Neonatology at McMaster University and maintains his affiliation with that institution as a professor emeritus. 

  As the author or coauthor of more than 150 scientific papers, Dr. Fusch’s work has been published in several prestigious medical journals including the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Pediatric Research, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, Journal of Pediatrics, New England Journal of Medicine, and JAMA. He has also been a contributor to a number of books on neonatal intensive care, nutrition, and placenta research.

  Dr. Fusch’s research focuses on improving short- and long-term outcomes in premature infants and high-risk neonates and he has received funding from numerous government and private sector organizations. His work includes studying the creation of an artificial placenta to reduce mortality and improve survival in infants with severe pulmonary insufficiencies; understanding the role of the placenta to fetal nutrition; and optimizing postnatal growth by targeting the composition of parenteral and enteral nutrition. Dr. Fusch collaborates with neonatal intensive care units in Canada, Germany and Switzerland, as well as with a number of research institutions in the United States.

  Dr. Fusch is a member of several international organizations including the Canadian Pediatric Society, the German Pediatric Society, the European Society for Pediatric Research and the Swiss Society for Neonatology.

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  Christoph Fusch, MD, PhD

  Professor of Pediatrics, Paracelsus Medical School
  Professor Emeritus, McMaster University
  Chief, Department of Pediatrics
  Nuremberg General Hospital
  Nuremberg, Germany