Table 3.
Comparison of the co-morbidities associated with prematurity in infants in the single versus two-strain probiotic group.
| Two-strain ( n = 180) | Single strain ( n = 196) | P -value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early onset sepsis ≤ 7 days, n (%) | 0 | 1 (0.5%) | 1.0 |
| Late onset sepsis > 7 days, n(%) | |||
| 1 episode | 15(8.3%) | 19(9.7%) | |
| ≥ 2 episodes | 0 | 3 (1.5%) | |
| Coagulase negative Staphylococcus aureus | 11 cases | 15 cases | |
| Escherichia coli | 2 cases | 0 | |
| Bacillus cereus | 0 | 1 case | |
| Enterococcus faecalis | 1 case | 2 cases | |
| Candida albicans | 0 case | 1 case | |
| Group B Streptococcus | 0 case | 1 case | |
| Lactobacillus lactus | 1 case | 0 case | |
| Invasive ventilation days, n (%) | 2.73 (± 7.13) | 1.67 (± 3.95) | 0.08 |
| CPAP days, n (%) | 27.6 (± 29.9) | 31.3 (± 51.18) |
0.39 |
|
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP)
n (%) | |||
| No ROP | 121 (67%) | 160 (82%) | 0.003 |
| Stage 1 | 17 (9.4%) | 5 (2.5%) | |
| Stage 2 | 32 (17.8%) | 21 (10.7%) | |
| Stage 3 | 10 (5.5%) | 10 (5.1%) | |
| Treatment for ROP | 10 (5.5%) | 10 (5.1%) | |
| Number of blood transfusion episodes, n(%) | |||
| None | 81 (45%) | 99 (50.5%) | |
| ≥ 1 | 99 (55%) | 97 (49.5%) | |
| Transfusions (mean) (SD) | 2.3 (3.4) | 1.7 (2.5) | 0.05 |
| Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), n(%) | |||
| No IVH | 172 (95.6%) | 182 (95%) | 0.21 |
| Grade 1 | 0 | 2 (1%) | |
| Grade 2 | 5 (2.8%) | 8 (4%) | |
| Grade 3 | 2 (1%) | 0 | |
| Grade 4 | 1 (0.5%) | 4 (2%) | |
| Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA), n (%) | |||
| None | 119 (66%) | 140 (71.4%) | 0.27 |
| Hemodynamically significant PDA | 61 (34%) | 56 (28%) | |
| NEC, n(%) | |||
| None | 169 (93.9) | 188(95.9) | 0.54 |
| Stage 1: suspected NEC | 4 (2.2%) | 2 (1%) | |
| Stage 2: medical NEC | 7(3.9%) | 5 (2.6%) | |
| Surgical NEC | 0 | 1 (0.5%) | |
| Death | 4 (2%) | 2 (1%) | - |