Early Feeds in Gastroschisis (GAIN)

March 13, 2026 updated by: University of California, Davis

The GAIN Study: The Gastroschisis And Early Infant Nutrition Study

This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of initiating early feeds in neonates with gastroschisis, a condition where infants are born with their intestines outside the body.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
20

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • California
      • Los Angeles, California, United States, 90095
      • Sacramento, California, United States, 95817
        • Recruiting
        • UC Davis Children's Hospital
        • Contact:
          • Nicole Cacho, DO
          • Phone Number: 916-282-2507
        • Contact:
          • Geoanna Bautista, MD

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Neonates with presumed simple gastroschisis
  • Born at ≥ 34 weeks' gestation
  • Hemodynamically stable
  • Consented within 48 hours after abdominal closure
  • Mothers who are ≥16 years old
  • Mothers who speak English or Spanish

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Neonates with evidence of complex gastroschisis at time of closure (any ischemic bowel, intestinal perforation, or obvious atresia with mesenteric defect)
  • Presence of any major congenital anomalies
  • Neonates who are receiving ionotropic medications
  • Neonates who are wards of the state
  • Neonates whose care is considered to be futile or those undergoing re-direction of care
  • Neonates participating in another interventional trial
  • Any patient deemed unfit for participation by study investigator(s)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Early Feeding Protocol Group
This arm involves neonates with presumed simple gastroschisis who will be subjected to an early feeding protocol. The protocol specifies initiating human milk feeds within 48 hours of surgical repair of gastroschisis. Feeds are advanced based on tolerance and clinical assessment, with a focus on promoting oral motor skill development.
Procedure: Early Feeding Protocol
The intervention includes removal of Replogle within 24 hours of abdominal closure and the initiation of introductory feeds within 48 hours of abdominal closure.
Other Names:
  • Early Initiation of Human Milk Feeds

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Feasibility of Enrollment in Early Feeding Study Cohort
Time Frame: From prenatal period within the first 24 hours of abdominal closure
Proportion of eligible neonates with gastroschisis whose parents/guardians consent to enrollment in the study.
From prenatal period within the first 24 hours of abdominal closure

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Feasibility of Protocol Adherence
Time Frame: From abdominal closure to 48 hours after closure.
Proportion of enrolled neonates who are initiated on introductory feeds within 48 hours of abdominal closure.
From abdominal closure to 48 hours after closure.
Fidelity to Protocol
Time Frame: From abdominal closure through discharge from the hospital, average of 90 days
Proportion of enrolled infants with gastroschisis who adhere to the remainder of the protocol without major deviations. Feasibility will be assessed using protocol adherence tracking forms completed by study team.
From abdominal closure through discharge from the hospital, average of 90 days
Protocol Withdrawal Rate
Time Frame: From time of enrollment (prenatal) to hospital discharge, an average of 90 days
Proportion of enrolled infants who withdraw from the study
From time of enrollment (prenatal) to hospital discharge, an average of 90 days

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Outcomes of of Adverse Events
Time Frame: From enrollment through hospital discharge, an average of 90 days

This exploratory outcome is measuring the incidence of severe adverse events in neonates enrolled in the early feeding protocol study.

Adverse events include:

  • Necrotizing enterocolitis (>Stage II)
  • Sepsis
  • Abdominal compartment syndrome
  • Additional abdominal surgeries (excluding primary closure)
  • Mortality
From enrollment through hospital discharge, an average of 90 days
Outcomes of Hospital Admission Duration
Time Frame: From birth admission to hospital through discharge, assessed up to 1 year
This exploratory outcome measures the total duration of length (days) of hospital stay.
From birth admission to hospital through discharge, assessed up to 1 year
Outcome of Duration of Parenteral Nutrition
Time Frame: From initiation of parenteral nutrition through achievement of enteral autonomy, assessed up to 1 year
This exploratory outcome measures the total duration of parenteral nutrition (days) in enrolled patients.
From initiation of parenteral nutrition through achievement of enteral autonomy, assessed up to 1 year
Outcome of Feeding Progression
Time Frame: From initiation of feeds through achievement of enteral autonomy, assessed up to 1 year
This exploratory outcome measures the feeding progression (time to first feed (days) and time to full feeds (days)) in infants enrolled.
From initiation of feeds through achievement of enteral autonomy, assessed up to 1 year
Outcome of Growth Parameters
Time Frame: From birth admission to hospital through discharge, assessed up to 1 year
This exploratory outcomes measures the changes in growth parameters (height, weight) using calculated z-scores (as measured by standard deviations from the mean, presented in percentages relative to average for age).
From birth admission to hospital through discharge, assessed up to 1 year
Feasibility of Data Collection of Direct Breastfeeding Practices
Time Frame: Assessed from birth through hospital discharge, an average of 90 days
Assessment of the feasibility of obtaining information related to breastfeeding practices through electronic medical records, using dichotomous measures of whether parent had direct breastfeeding during hospitalization and at time of discharge (48 hours prior to hospital discharge).
Assessed from birth through hospital discharge, an average of 90 days

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of California, Davis

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
University of California, Los Angeles
National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
The Gerber Foundation
University of California Fetal Consortium

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Nicole Cacho, DO, University of California, Davis
  • Principal Investigator: Geoanna Bautista, MD, University of California, Davis

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
February 24, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
February 1, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
February 1, 2029

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
March 4, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 10, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 17, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 17, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 13, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 2216195
  • UL1TR001860 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

After the primary study results are published, individual participant data will be de-identified and made available to qualified researchers upon request, subject to a data use agreement and review by the study team. Access will be granted within 12 months of a successful application, provided the request aligns with the study's scientific objectives, the intended study is IRB approved and adheres to ethical data protection guidelines.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Starting 6 months after publication

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

The study team will review application requests submitted by interested researchers. The intended study must align with our study's scientific objectives, be IRB approved, and adhere to ethical data protection guidelines.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • ICF

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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