Biomaterial Database

Oral gentamicin therapy in the prevention of neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis. A controlled double-blind trial. 1978

L J Grylack, and J W Scanlon

The value of prophylactic oral gentamicin sulfate therapy in the prevention of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) was evaluated in a group of 42 high-risk neonates over a four-month period in a randomized, double-blind controlled trial. Twenty babies in the treatment group received 2.5 mg/kg of gentamicin sulfate every six hours for one week after birth, and 22 babies received dextrose-and-water placebo in an equivalently small volume. None of the 20 gentamicin-treated babies developed NEC. Four of the control babies did. Two of these babies died, and their diagnosis was pathologically confirmed. This difference in the incidence of NEC between the treatment and control group was significant at the .05 level. These results support the prophylactic use of orally given gentamicin for selected babies at high risk for NEC, particularly those born prematurely and those who have a history of perinatal asphyxia or umbilical artery catheterization or both. Continued surveillance for changes in antimicrobial sensitivity patterns is recommended.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007230	Infant, Low Birth Weight	An infant having a birth weight of 2500 gm. (5.5 lb.) or less but INFANT, VERY LOW BIRTH WEIGHT is available for infants having a birth weight of 1500 grams (3.3 lb.) or less.	Low Birth Weight,Low-Birth-Weight Infant,Birth Weight, Low,Birth Weights, Low,Infant, Low-Birth-Weight,Infants, Low-Birth-Weight,Low Birth Weight Infant,Low Birth Weights,Low-Birth-Weight Infants
D007231	Infant, Newborn	An infant during the first 28 days after birth.	Neonate,Newborns,Infants, Newborn,Neonates,Newborn,Newborn Infant,Newborn Infants
D007232	Infant, Newborn, Diseases	Diseases of newborn infants present at birth (congenital) or developing within the first month of birth. It does not include hereditary diseases not manifesting at birth or within the first 30 days of life nor does it include inborn errors of metabolism. Both HEREDITARY DISEASES and METABOLISM, INBORN ERRORS are available as general concepts.	Neonatal Diseases,Disease, Neonatal,Diseases, Neonatal,Neonatal Disease
D007235	Infant, Premature, Diseases	Diseases that occur in PREMATURE INFANTS.
D010919	Placebos	Any dummy medication or treatment. Although placebos originally were medicinal preparations having no specific pharmacological activity against a targeted condition, the concept has been extended to include treatments or procedures, especially those administered to control groups in clinical trials in order to provide baseline measurements for the experimental protocol.	Sham Treatment
D011446	Prospective Studies	Observation of a population for a sufficient number of persons over a sufficient number of years to generate incidence or mortality rates subsequent to the selection of the study group.	Prospective Study,Studies, Prospective,Study, Prospective
D002986	Clinical Trials as Topic	Works about pre-planned studies of the safety, efficacy, or optimum dosage schedule (if appropriate) of one or more diagnostic, therapeutic, or prophylactic drugs, devices, or techniques selected according to predetermined criteria of eligibility and observed for predefined evidence of favorable and unfavorable effects. This concept includes clinical trials conducted both in the U.S. and in other countries.	Clinical Trial as Topic
D004311	Double-Blind Method	A method of studying a drug or procedure in which both the subjects and investigators are kept unaware of who is actually getting which specific treatment.	Double-Masked Study,Double-Blind Study,Double-Masked Method,Double Blind Method,Double Blind Study,Double Masked Method,Double Masked Study,Double-Blind Methods,Double-Blind Studies,Double-Masked Methods,Double-Masked Studies,Method, Double-Blind,Method, Double-Masked,Methods, Double-Blind,Methods, Double-Masked,Studies, Double-Blind,Studies, Double-Masked,Study, Double-Blind,Study, Double-Masked
D004761	Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous	An acute inflammation of the INTESTINAL MUCOSA that is characterized by the presence of pseudomembranes or plaques in the SMALL INTESTINE (pseudomembranous enteritis) and the LARGE INTESTINE (pseudomembranous colitis). It is commonly associated with antibiotic therapy and CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE colonization.	Antibiotic-Associated Colitis,Clostridium Enterocolitis,Colitis, Pseudomembranous,Enteritis, Pseudomembranous,Pseudomembranous Colitis,Pseudomembranous Enteritis,Pseudomembranous Enterocolitis,Antibiotic Associated Colitis,Colitis, Antibiotic-Associated
D005839	Gentamicins	A complex of closely related aminoglycosides obtained from MICROMONOSPORA purpurea and related species. They are broad-spectrum antibiotics, but may cause ear and kidney damage. They act to inhibit PROTEIN BIOSYNTHESIS.	Gentamicin Sulfate (USP),Gentamycin,G-Myticin,Garamycin,Gentacycol,Gentamicin,Gentamicin Sulfate,Gentamycins,Gentavet,Genticin,G Myticin,GMyticin,Sulfate, Gentamicin