Gastrostomy Tube Feeding in Extremely Low Birthweight Infants: Frequency, Associated Comorbidities, and Long-term Outcomes.

Multi-center study of 4,549 ELBW infants found 7.3% required gastrostomy tube placement, predominantly post-discharge. GT placement strongly associated with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (77%) and severe neurological injury (29%), with implications for long-term growth and developmental outcomes at 18-22 months corrected age.