Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 15, 2026
A Controlled Mouse Model for Neonatal Polymicrobial Sepsis
Published on: January 27, 2019
Oral zinc supplementation for reducing mortality in probable neonatal sepsis: a double blind randomized placebo
1Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal.
Objective:
To study the role of Zinc in the treatment of neonatal sepsis.
Design:
Double blind, randomized, placebo controlled trial.
Setting:
Tertiary Care Hospital.
Participants:
614 neonates with probable neonatal sepsis.
Intervention:
The drug group (n=307) received 1mg/kg/day of elemental zinc, and placebo group (n=307) received the placebo, in addition to antibiotic therapy and supportive care, till the final outcome (discharge/death).
Outcome Measures:
Decrease in mortality rates (primary outcome), duration of hospital stay and need of higher lines of antibiotic therapy (secondary outcomes) were tested.
Results:
Baseline characteristics of the two groups were similar. No statistically significant differences between drug and placebo group were found in mortality rate (9.77% vs 7.81%; P=0.393), mean duration of hospital stay (142.85 ± 69.41 hrs, vs. 147.99 ± 73.13 hrs; P=0.841), and requirement of higher lines of antibiotic therapy (13.35% vs 12.05%, P=0.628) after supplementation.
Conclusions:
This study does not report decrease in mortality rates, duration of hospital stay and requirement of higher lines of antibiotic therapy following zinc supplementation in neonatal sepsis.
