Table 1.

Randomized controlled trials of prophylactic oral antibiotics to reduce NEC.

First Author and Year	Sample size	Intervention	Results
Egan 1976	75	Oral kanamycin vs placebo	Kanamycin decreased NEC (0/35) vs controls (4/40), p = 0.038.
Boyle 1978	99	Oral kanamycin vs placebo	NEC rates not different between kanamycin-treated (3/49) and placebo (9/50), p = 0.2.
Grylack 1978	42	Oral gentamicin vs placebo	Prophylactic oral gentamicin decreased NEC (0/20) vs placebo (4/22), p < 0.05.
Fast 1994	200	Oral gentamicin vs oral IgA-IgG	Oral gentamicin decreased NEC vs oral IgA-IgG (1/100 vs 13/10), p = 0.0004.
Siu 1998	140	Oral vancomycin vs placebo	Oral vancomycin decreased NEC (9/71) vs placebo (19/69), p = 0.035.

IgA, immunoglobulin A; IgG, immunoglobulin G; NEC, necrotizing enterocolitis.