TABLE 3.
Demographic, nutritional, and mortality characteristics in NEC infants
| Early-antibiotics | No-early-antibiotics | P value1 | P value2 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | 99 | 24 | ||
| Birth weight, g, mean (SD) | 1012 (255) | 1026 (331) | 0.82 | 0.32 |
| Gestational age, wks, mean (SD) | 27.8 (2.5) | 29.5 (2.4) | <0.01 | <0.001 |
| Birth weight z-score | −0.10 (0.89) | −1.00 (0.89) | <0.0001 | <0.0001 |
| SGA, n (%) | 13 (13) | 9 (34) | <0.01 | <0.05 |
| Male, n (%) | 61(62) | 15 (63) | 0.94 | 0.73 |
| C-section, n (%) | 52 (53) | 21 (88) | <0.01 | <0.01 |
| Antenatal steroids, n (%) | 68 (72) | 17 (77) | 0.64 | 0.89 |
| APGAR 5 <8, n (%) | 52 (62) | 12 (52) | 0.40 | 0.39 |
| Enteral nutrition start, n (%)3 | <0.001 | <0.01 | ||
| Slow | 27 (29) | 0 (0) | ||
| Medium | 23(25) | 2 (8) | ||
| Quick | 43 (46) | 22 (92) | ||
| Enteral nutrition type, n (%)4 | 0.76 | 0.54 | ||
| IF | 20 (26) | 7 (29) | ||
| HM | 57 (74) | 17 (71) | ||
| Mortality, n (%) | 18 (18) | 7 (29) | 0.23 | 0.97 |
| Probiotics, n (%) | 22 (26) | 10 (43) | 0.10 | 0.53 |
| Probiotics prior to NEC onset, n (%) | 17 (20) | 8 (35) | 0.13 | 0.67 |
| Onset, postnatal day, mean (SD) | 18 (15) | 14 (7) | 0.78 | 0.62 |
| Onset, PMA in wks, mean (SD) | 30.2 (2.5) | 31.4 (2.4) | <0.05 | <0.05 |
| Bell stage, n (%) | 1.00 | 0.79 | ||
| II | 58 (67) | 16 (67) | ||
| III | 29 (33) | 8 (33) |
1
Unadjusted P values.
2
Adjusted for NICU as a random effect.
3
Time when EN was initiated was grouped into: Slow, never started or started later than postnatal day 4; Medium, started on postnatal day 3 or 4; Quick, started within postnatal day 2.
4
Type of enteral nutrition used in postnatal week 1. IF, exclusive IF or mixed feeding; HM: exclusive human milk feeding (MM and/or DM). HM, human milk; IF, infant formula; NEC, necrotizing enterocolitis; PMA, postmenstrual age; SD, standard deviation