Effectiveness of intravenous low-dose erythromycin for feeding intolerance in preterm infants:a meta-analysis

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of low-dose erythromycin for the treatment of feeding intolerance in preterm infants in China.Methods In this study,random clinical trials on the treatment of feeding intolerance in preterm infants with intravenous low-dose erythromycin published were searched at Chinese Journal Full-text Database,Chongqing Weipu Database and Wanfang database by using the methods of Cochrane systematic review.At the same time the information from related journals,professional data and network were hand-searched.The publishing deadline for the literatures reviewed in this study was August 2012.Statistical analysis of clinical data was performed by using RevMan 4.2 software provided by the Cochrane Collaboration.Results A total of 9 studies were included.The results showed that compared with the group of comprehensive therapy,the group of low-dose erythromycin was superior in the following aspects with significant differences(P ＜ 0.05):the average length of hospital stay,time of parenteral nutrition,time to full feeding,the incidence rate of feeding intolerance (Z =3.44,P =0.000 6 ; Z =6.78,P ＜0.000 01 ; Z =3.96,P ＜ 0.000 1 ; Z =2.51,P =0.01).Conclusion Low-dose erythromycin therapy for feeding intolerance in preterm infants is superior to the comprehensive therapy.It provides a prospective therapeutic method for feeding intolerance in preterm infants.However,large scale,multicenter and well-designed clinical trials should be adopted to confirm the conclusions. Key words: Low-dose erythromycin; Feeding intolerance in preterm infants; Systematic review; Meta analysis; Randomized controlled trial