Antibiotic Therapy and Complete Oral Feeding Tolerance in Premature Neonates

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Background: There is a relative lack of information about the consequences of antibiotic therapy during pregnancy or the first postnatal days on brain development, function, and subsequent issues. Objectives: This study investigated the correlation between antibiotic therapy and the timing of complete oral feeding in premature neonates admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Methods: In this descriptive-retrospective study conducted in Mahdieh Hospital in Tehran, the duration of antibiotic therapy and the date of complete oral feeding tolerance were obtained through electrical patient records. Antibiotic exposure was divided into three categories: Less than 24 hours, between 3 and five days, and more than five days. Results: A total of 340 neonates aged 30 to 37 weeks were reviewed. In 2.9% of neonates, no antibiotics were prescribed, and 62.1% received antibiotics for less than five days and 35% for more than five days. There was a significant inverse correlation between the duration of antibiotic therapy and neonatal weight when complete oral feeding tolerance occurs. When taking complete oral feeding, neonates who took antibiotics for more than five days weigh less than neonates in the other two groups. However, there was no significant correlation between the duration of antibiotic therapy and the duration of oral feeding. There was a significant correlation between the type of antibiotics and the duration of his/her oral feeding. Thus, the duration of oral feeding was longer in neonates who had taken cefotaxime, amikacin, and vancomycin than other antibiotics. Yet, there was no significant correlation between the type of antibiotic and the process of neonatal weight gain. Conclusions: The findings of the present study showed that the type of antibiotics and the duration of antibiotic therapy are correlated to neonatal feeding, neonatal weight, and neonate's one-minute Apgar score.