Early erythropoietin for preventing necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm neonates - an updated meta-analysis.

Anitha AnanthanHaribalakrishna BalasubramanianDiwakar MohanShripada RaoSanjay Patole

Published in: European journal of pediatrics (2022)

• Early EPO supplementation significantly reduced the incidence of any stage NEC and definite NEC in preterm infants < 34 weeks of gestation. • EPO had no significant effect on definite NEC in the analyses that included only double-blinded and prospectively registered RCTs. How might it impact clinical practice in the foreseeable future? • Early prophylactic EPO can be recommended for NEC prevention if its benefits are consistently demonstrated in adequately powered randomized trials with a low risk of bias.

Keyphrases

preterm infants
low birth weight
systematic review
clinical practice
gestational age
preterm birth
risk factors
randomized controlled trial
meta analyses