Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 5, 2026

A Novel Method for Involving Women of Color at High Risk for Preterm Birth in Research Priority Setting
14:43

A Novel Method for Involving Women of Color at High Risk for Preterm Birth in Research Priority Setting

Published on: January 12, 2018

13.5K

Early Antibiotic Exposure and Adverse Outcomes in Preterm, Very Low Birth Weight Infants

Joseph B Cantey1, Alaina K Pyle2, Phillip S Wozniak3

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX; Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine and Pediatric Infectious Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX; University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, San Antonio, TX.

The Journal of Pediatrics
|September 3, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Early antibiotic use in preterm infants increases risks for late-onset sepsis, necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), or death. Even short durations of antibiotic therapy in the first 14 days are linked to adverse outcomes in very low birth weight infants.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal research
  • Pediatric pharmacology
  • Clinical neonatology

Background:

  • Antibiotic administration in preterm, very low birth weight (VLBW) infants during the first 14 postnatal days is common.
  • The association between early antibiotic exposure and subsequent adverse outcomes in VLBW infants requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the association between early antibiotic use (first 14 postnatal days) and the risk of late-onset sepsis, necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), or death in VLBW infants.
  • To determine if the duration of antibiotic exposure correlates with the risk of these adverse outcomes, controlling for illness severity.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective cohort study was conducted on VLBW infants (≤32 6/7 weeks gestation) admitted to the NICU between September 2010 and June 2014.
  • Infants with major congenital anomalies or early-onset sepsis, NEC, or death were excluded.
  • Antibiotic exposure was quantified by days of therapy and length of therapy.

Main Results:

  • Of 374 infants, 19% experienced late-onset sepsis, NEC, or death after 14 days of age.
  • Each additional day of antibiotic therapy was associated with a 1.24-fold increased risk of adverse outcomes (OR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.17-1.31).
  • A similar increased risk was observed when using length of therapy (OR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.32-1.64).

Conclusions:

  • Early antibiotic administration in the first two weeks of life is significantly associated with an increased risk of late-onset sepsis, NEC, or death in VLBW infants.
  • This association persists even after adjusting for illness severity.
  • The findings highlight the potential risks associated with early antibiotic exposure in this vulnerable population.
Abstract

Keywords:
neonatal intensive care unitneonatesepsisstewardship

More Related Videos

Transcutaneous Microcirculatory Imaging in Preterm Neonates06:27

Transcutaneous Microcirculatory Imaging in Preterm Neonates

Published on: December 31, 2015

8.5K
Modeling Ascending Vaginal Infection, Preterm Birth, and Neonatal Morbidity in Mice04:18

Modeling Ascending Vaginal Infection, Preterm Birth, and Neonatal Morbidity in Mice

Published on: October 10, 2025

528

Related Concept Videos

Birth Control Methods01:22

Birth Control Methods

Vasectomy is a surgical form of male sterilization that involves severing and sealing the vasa deferentia, preventing sperm from mixing with semen during ejaculation. Because a vasectomy does not impact the testes' ability to produce testosterone, hormone levels, libido, and sexual function generally remain unchanged. While vasectomy is highly effective in preventing pregnancy, with a success rate near 99.85%, rare cases of recanalization (spontaneous reconnection) can occur. Although...
6.8K
Antibiotic Selection00:57

Antibiotic Selection

Overview
60.0K
Weighted Mean00:57

Weighted Mean

While taking the arithmetic, geometric, or harmonic mean of a sample data set, equal importance is assigned to all the data points. However, all the values may not always be equally important in some data sets. An intrinsic bias might make it more important to give more weightage to specific values over others.
For example, consider the number of goals scored in the matches of a tournament. While computing the average number of goals scored in the tournament, it may be more important to...
6.4K
Predicting Reaction Outcomes02:24

Predicting Reaction Outcomes

Kinetics describes the rate and path by which a reaction occurs. In contrast, thermodynamics deals with state functions and describes the properties, behavior, and components of a system. It is not concerned with the path taken by the process and cannot address the rate at which a reaction occurs. Although it does provide information about what can happen during a reaction process, it does not describe the detailed steps of what appears on an atomic or a molecular level. On the other hand,...
10.9K
Outcomes of Glycolysis01:13

Outcomes of Glycolysis

Nearly all the energy used by cells comes from the bonds that make up complex organic compounds. These organic compounds are broken down into simpler molecules, such as glucose. As a result, cells extract energy from glucose over many chemical reactions—a process called cellular respiration.
Cellular respiration can occur aerobically (with oxygen) or anaerobically (without oxygen). In the presence of oxygen, cellular respiration starts with glycolysis and continues with pyruvate...
107.3K
Local Anesthetics: Adverse Effects01:12

Local Anesthetics: Adverse Effects

While local anesthetics are generally safe and well-tolerated, they can occasionally cause adverse effects that vary in severity. Local anesthetics can induce toxicity at two distinct levels. They can either produce local effects through direct contact with the neural elements or be absorbed into the bloodstream from the injection site, leading to systemic effects.
Once absorbed into the systemic circulation, local anesthetics can affect the organs that depend on the functioning of sodium...
810