Antibiotics in the NICU: In the absence of confirmed infection, higher rates of antibiotic use associated with worse outcomes in very-low-birth-weight babies.

Abstract

All new-born babies are at risk of infection because their immune systems are not yet mature, and this is especially true for premature babies. This presumed presence of infection which is usually difficult to diagnose often leads to liberal use of antibiotics in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) setting, even in the absence of confirmed infection. JMS 2014;17(2):78