Tag Archives: Necrotising Enterocolitis

Probiotics in the extremely preterm. Risks and benefits

Posted on 22 October 2026 by Keith Barrington

Many publications and some guidelines about the use of probiotics for NEC prevention in the preterm make the claim that the evidence is more reliable for the moderately preterm than for the extreme preterm. Many of the RCTs have not … Continue reading →

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Probiotics, risk-benefit ratio

Posted on 20 October 2026 by Keith Barrington

Many of you will know that I have been convinced for some time that probiotics can reduce the frequency of NEC. Once the data became strong enough, and safety seemed to be assured, we were, I think, the first Canadian … Continue reading →

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Automated oxygen control; is it worth it?

Posted on 18 February 2026 by Keith Barrington

The history of automated controls of inspired oxygen goes back many decades, to before the invention of pulse oximetry. The first studies I remember used transcutaneous PO2 as the target variable, which had major limitations, as well as the advantage … Continue reading →

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Prophylactic acetaminophen in the preterm

Posted on 17 February 2026 by Keith Barrington

In a newly published trial (Roze JC, et al. Prophylactic Treatment of Patent Ductus Arteriosus With Acetaminophen: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Pediatr. 2026) nearly 800 infants of 23 to <29 weeks GA were randomized within 12 hours of birth. … Continue reading →

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Beware articles written by AI

Posted on 11 November 2025 by Keith Barrington

I subscribe to Google alerts, which sends me an email whenever the phrase “neonatal research” appears on a new website or a new post. I was interested, therefore to receive an alert about an article which, according the blog “Bioengineer.org”, … Continue reading →

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Avoiding IVs in moderately preterm babies

Posted on 28 October 2025 by Keith Barrington

A new very large (for neonatology) RCT has just been published. Ojha S, et al. Full exclusively enteral fluids from day 1 versus gradual feeding in preterm infants (FEED1): a open-label, parallel-group, multicentre, randomised, superiority trial. Lancet Child Adolesc Health. … Continue reading →

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NEC awareness day, 17 May 2025. What is new in NEC prevention?

Posted on 17 May 2025 by Keith Barrington

I thought, as today is NEC awareness day, I would give an overview of recent research about NEC prevention strategies. Probiotics. I am sure my readers are aware of the major problems in the USA which have followed the occurrence … Continue reading →

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Should we be giving erythropoietin, or analogues, to preterm infants?

Posted on 14 May 2025 by Keith Barrington

In some pre-clinical models, erythropoietin acts as a neuroprotective agent, which led to the performance of clinical trials to determine whether there was a positive impact on outcomes of the preterm. The latest study has just been published, and it … Continue reading →

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Breast is Best; is Fresher Better?

Posted on 30 January 2025 by Keith Barrington

A recurrent problem in the NICU is “bandwagon-jumping”. An intervention with some preliminary positive data, and a possible physiologic rationale is widely adopted and made part of QI bundles with little or no reliable evidence that it is either effective … Continue reading →

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Surgery for NEC; enterostomy or anastomosis?

Posted on 7 November 2024 by Keith Barrington

There are only a few randomized trials in neonatal surgery, but those that exist have had a major impact. This new publication may do the same, even though the sample size is relatively modest, and there are some issues with … Continue reading →

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