Sandeep Rawal
Jaipur Golden Hospital, India
Title: To evaluate the effi cacy of probiotics in reducing the incidence and severity of necrotizing enterocolitis in very low birth weight infants
Biography
Biography: Sandeep Rawal
Abstract
Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of probiotics in reducing the incidence and severity of necrotizing enterocolitis in very low birth weight infants.
Study: Prospective double blind randomized controlled trial.
Setting: NICU of Jaipur Golden Hospital, Rohini, Delhi.
Methods: A prospective, double blind randomized controlled study was conducted in infants with gestational age ≤34 weeks and birth weight ≤1500 g. The study group received probiotics supplementation, and the control group did not. The primary outcomes were death or NEC (Bell’s stage ≥2), and secondary outcomes were feeding intolerance and clinical or culture proven sepsis.
Results: The results indicated that total of 151 infants were enrolled in the study, 76 in the study group and 75 in the control group. There was significant difference in the incidence of NEC (0.0% vs 6.7%; p=0.028) and feeding intolerance (22.4% vs. 44.0%, 95%; p=0.005) between the groups. However, the incidence of death and clinical or culture proven sepsis were non-significant between the groups.
Conclusions: Probiotic mixture containing the commonly used probiotics Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Bifidobacterium longum, along with Saccharomyces boulardii; at the dose of 2.5x109 live cells; reduce the incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis and feed intolerance in very low birth weight infants.