Influence of erythromycin on establishment of feeding in preterm infants: observations from a randomised controlled trial

• Published in: Archives of disease in childhood. Fetal and neonatal edition Vol. 79; no. 3; pp. F212 - F214
• Main Authors: Stenson, Ben J, Middlemist, Linda, Lyon, Andrew J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health 01-11-1998; BMJ; BMJ Publishing Group LTD; BMJ Group
• Subjects: Age; Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy; Biological and medical sciences; Birth weight; Breastfeeding & lactation; Chi-Square Distribution; Emergency and intensive care: neonates and children. Prematurity. Sudden death; Enteral Nutrition; erythromycin; Erythromycin - therapeutic use; Feeding; Female; Gastrointestinal Agents - therapeutic use; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Premature; Infants; Infusions, Intravenous; Intensive care medicine; Lung diseases; Male; Medical sciences; motilin; Motility; Original; Premature birth; Statistics, Nonparametric; Ventilation; Human; Premature; Intensive care; Assisted ventilation; Motility; Nutrition; Gut; Tolerance; Respiratory intensive care; Erythromycin; Macrolide; Biological activity; Enteral administration; Feeding; Chemotherapy; Newborn diseases; Newborn
• ISSN: 1359-2998; 1468-2052
• DOI: 10.1136/fn.79.3.F212

AIM To determine the effect of erythromycin on the establishment of enteral feeding in ventilated infants <31 weeks gestation. METHODS Erythromycin was randomly allocated as an antimicrobial treatment for the first 7 days of life in 76 infants: 35 received erythromycin and 41 acted as controls. Feed toleration, time taken to establish full enteral feeding, vomiting, prescription of glycerine suppositories and occurrence of necrotising enterocolitis were recorded. RESULTS There were no significant differences between the groups for any of the outcomes. The infants treated with erythromycin reached full feeding at a median (quartile) age of 8 (5–12) days compared with 9 (6–14) days for controls. CONCLUSIONS Intravenous erythromycin in antimicrobial doses is unlikely to benefit the introduction of feeding in preterm infants.