Background/aims: Erythromycin is an analogue of the gastrointestinal hormone motilin. Preterm infants have demonstrated increased gastric motility after Erythromycin infusion but not increased duodenal motility1. We hypothesised that Erythromycin, when used as an antimicrobial agent in a randomised controlled trial to prevent lung inflammation attributable to Ureaplasma Urealyticum, would improve gastric emptying and decrease the time taken to establish full enteral feeding.

Patients and Methods: Infants < 31 weeks gestation that were ventilated on day 1 were randomised to receive either Erythromycin infusion 15 mg/kg 3 times daily for the first 7 days (n=35) or no additional treatment(n=41). Age at first enteral feeding and full enteral feeding were recorded. Gastric emptying was assessed as the precentage of feed offered that was not returned as gastric aspirate on each of the first 14 days. There were no significant differences between the groups in birth weight, gestational age, gender or frequency of antenatal steroid treatment.

Results: Data are median (quartile) or number (%).Table

Table 1
Full size table

There was no significant difference between the two groups in gastric emptying during the first 14 days of life.

Conclusion: The use of erythromycin in newborn infants < 31 weeks gestation is unlikely to be associated with improved toleration of enteral feeds.