Table 1.
Subject characteristics and study outcomes
| Early antibiotics (n=3946) | No early antibiotics (n=1004) | p | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant demographics | |||
| Gestational age, wk - mean±SD | 27.9 ± 2.3 | 28.3 ± 2.4 | <0.001 |
| Birthweight, g - mean±SD | 1032 ± 286 | 1016 ± 277 | 0.11 |
| Male sex, n (%) | 2015 (51.1) | 488 (48.6) | 0.16 |
| Small for gestational age, n (%) | 534 (13.5) | 192 (19.1) | <0.001 |
| Singleton, n (%) | 2849 (72.2) | 750 (74.7) | 0.11 |
| Race/Ethnicity, n (%) | 0.01 | ||
| African-American | 793 (20.1) | 196 (19.5) | |
| Caucasian | 1281 (32.5) | 308 (30.7) | |
| Hispanic | 726 (18.4) | 157 (15.6) | |
| Other/unknown | 1146 (29.0) | 343 (34.2) | |
| Cesarean section, n (%) | 2705 (68.6) | 719 (71.6) | 0.06 |
| Exclusive human milk feeding, n (%) | 874 (22.2) | 219 (21.8) | 0.82 |
| Maternal factors | |||
| Prenatal steroids, n (%) | 2026 (51.3) | 468 (46.6) | 0.007 |
| Chorioamnionitis, n (%) | 203 (5.1) | 23 (2.3) | <0.001 |
| Gestational hypertension or pre/eclampsia, n (%) | 761 (19.3) | 336 (33.5) | <0.001 |
| Gestational diabetes, n (%) | 143 (3.6) | 41 (4.1) | 0.49 |
| Respiratory characteristics | |||
| Caffeine therapy, n (%) | 3447 (87.4) | 721 (71.8) | <0.001 |
| Surfactant therapy, n (%) | 2283 (57.9) | 199 (19.8) | <0.001 |
| Invasive ventilation on day 0 of life, n (%) | 2460 (62.3) | 183 (18.2) | <0.001 |
| Ventilation days week 1 of life, mean±SD | 2.8 ± 2.9 | 0.7 ± 1.7 | <0.001 |
| Outcome rates | |||
| BPD or death prior to 36 wk PMA or, n (%) | 1639 (41.5) | 312 (31.1) | <0.001 |
| BPD among survivors to 36 wk PMA1, n (%) | 1336 (36.7) | 283 (29.0) | <0.001 |
| Death prior to 36 wk PMA, n (%) | 302 (7.7) | 29 (2.9) | <0.001 |
1
Outcome calculated among survivors to 36 wk PMA (3642 received early antibiotics, 975 did not)
wk (weeks); SD (standard deviation); g (grams); BPD (bronchopulmonary dysplasia); PMA (postmenstrual age)