Table 3 |
||||
| A summary of four included probiotic studies | ||||
| Costalos 2003 [[39] | Indrio 2008 [[42] | Reuman 1986 [[41] | Stratiki 2007 [[40] | |
| Location of study | Athens, Greece | University of Bari, Policinico, Italy | Gainesville, Florida, USA | Alexandra Regional Hospital, Greece |
| Participants - inclusion criteria | 28 - 32 weeks gestation | 3- 5 days old, appropriate for gestational age, preterm infants with normal agpar scores | Premature infants, <2000g at birth, less than 72 hours old (>24 old to <72 hours old) | 27 to 37 weeks gestation, in stable state |
| Number of study participants | Study group=51 , Placebo = 36 | Study group = 10 , Placebo = 10 | Study group = 15, Placebo = 15 | Study group = 41, Placebo = 34 |
| Probiotic bacteria used | Saccharomyces Bourlardii | Lactobacillus Reuteri ATCC 55730 | Lactobacillus acidophilus | Bifidobacteriumlactis |
| Dose of probiotic | 109cfu at 50mg/kg every 12 hours | 1 X 108cfu/day | 9 X 106cfu/ml formula | 2 X 107cfu/g milk powder |
| Placebo | Maltodextrin | Indistinguishable placebo | Conventional preterm formula | Conventional preterm formula |
| Dose of placebo | 50 mg /kg / 12 hours | Not reported | ||
| Treatment initiation | 1st week of life as soon as enteral feed was tolerated | At 3–5 days of life | 1st 72 hours of life | 1st 2 days of life |
| Treatment duration | 30 days | 30 days | Not specified | 30 days |
| Reported Outcomes | ||||
| Growth parameters | Weight gain | Weight gain | Weight gain | Weight gain, Linear growth, Head circumference |
| Timing and duration of measurement of growth parameters | Measured daily for 30 days | Measured daily for 30 days | Measured daily, duration not specified | Weight gain: measured daily, Lineargrowth (measured weekly), Head circumference (measured weekly) |
| Feed tolerance | Number of days to full enteral feed, Maximal enteral feed, vomiting | Number of days to full enteral feed, Maximal enteral feed, vomiting | Maximal enteral feed | Number of days to full enteral feed, Maximal enteral feed |
| Stool characteristics | Stooling frequency | |||
| Complications | NEC, Sepsis | Mortality / death | NEC, Sepsis | |
| Intestinal permeability | Changes in Intestinal permeability | Changes in Intestinal permeability | ||
| Changes in gastrointestinal microflora | cfu of bifidobacteria, lactobacillus, pathogens | cfu of bifidobacteria | ||
Mugambi et al. Nutrition Journal 2012 11:58 doi:10.1186/1475-2891-11-58
