Early antibiotic use and NEC
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Early antibiotic use and incidence of necrotising enterocolitis in very preterm infants: a UK based observational study using routinely recorded data
IRAS ID
312574
Contact name
Janet Berrington
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 5 months, 31 days
Research summary
Necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) is a key cause of mortality and morbidity in preterm infants. Early antibiotic use has been shown to impact on rates of NEC, with data suggesting that receipt in the first days after birth is protective, but long duration has adverse impact on NEC rates. We aim to use the large UK dataset of preterm births known as the The National Neonatal Research Database (NNRD) to further delineate this relationship. The NNRD holds data on 'every' preterm neonate admitted in the United Kingdom in a link anonymised fashion, allowing exploration of the role of antibiotics in NEC development in a much bigger population than previously explored.
REC name
North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 2 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/NE/0113
Date of REC Opinion
17 Jun 2022
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion