Ten Versus 14 Days of Antibiotic Therapy in Culture-Proven Neonatal Sepsis: A Randomized, Controlled Trial

To compare the efficacy of 10 d versus 14 d of antibiotic therapy in neonates with culture-positive sepsis.

Neonates with culture-positive sepsis were randomized to either 10-d or 14-d antibiotic therapy. These neonates were followed up to 28 d after discharge for treatment failure. Primary outcome of the study was treatment failure which was defined as readmission to the NICU within 4 wk of discharge with blood culture growing same organism with similar antibiogram or any readmission with signs of sepsis with negative blood culture.

A total of 70 neonates were randomized to receive either 10 d (n = 35) or 14 d (n = 35) of antibiotic therapy. Gram-negative infections were encountered in majority of the neonates. Treatment failure occurred in 1 neonate in 10-d group and none in 14-d group. The duration of hospital stay was significantly less in 10-d group as compared to 14-d group (16 d vs. 23 d, p  <  0.01).

Ten days of antibiotics in neonates with culture-positive sepsis, who have achieved clinical and microbiologic remission at day 7, is noninferior to 14 d of therapy. Larger adequately powered trials will address this issue with certainty.