Periocular ulcerative dermatitis associated with gentamicin ointment prophylaxis in newborns.

Area of Science:

• Neonatal Dermatology
• Ophthalmology
• Infectious Disease Prevention

Background:

• A shortage of erythromycin ointment, a standard for newborn ocular infection prophylaxis, has prompted the use of alternatives in the US.
• Gentamicin ointment has been used as an alternative agent for preventing neonatal eye infections.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report a series of cases of a specific skin reaction in newborns following the administration of gentamicin ointment.
• To describe the clinical presentation and potential association between gentamicin ointment and periocular ulcerative dermatitis in neonates.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective case series.
• Involved the review of 26 newborns who developed periocular ulcerative dermatitis.
• Data collected from two hospitals in Philadelphia.

Main Results:

• A characteristic periocular ulcerative dermatitis was observed in 26 newborns.
• The dermatitis developed subsequent to the application of gentamicin ointment for prophylaxis.
• This finding suggests a potential adverse reaction to gentamicin ointment in the neonatal population.

Conclusions:

• Gentamicin ointment administration may be associated with the development of periocular ulcerative dermatitis in newborns.
• Further investigation is warranted to confirm the causality and understand the mechanism of this adverse reaction.
• This highlights the importance of monitoring adverse events when alternative prophylactic agents are used in neonates.