Prolonged Antibiotics, Necrotizing Enterocolitis, and Mortality

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a life-threatening condition primarily affecting premature newborns. The cause is unknown; attempts to show an infectious origin have been unsuccessful. The Neonatal Research Network, a group of tertiary neonatal centers in the U.S. linked by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, has conducted studies to identify factors that predispose infants to developing NEC. The latest such investigation involves empirical antibiotics, which are frequently used for extremely-low-birth-weight (ELBW) infants.

Data on initial empirical antibiotic use (i.e., the first antibiotics initiated during postnatal days 1–3, with all cultures being sterile) were collected for ELBW infants (401–1000 g) who we…