Baseline characteristics of infants with very low birth weight who received or did not receive probiotics to prevent necrotizing enterocolitis
| Characteristic | Group; median [IQR] or no. (%) | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No probiotics (n = 355) | Probiotics (n = 310) | ||
| Gestational age, wk | 28.4 [22.4–30.4] | 28.6 [26.6–30.1] | 0.70 |
| Birth weight, g | 1090 [830–1300] | 1060 [800–1293] | 0.24 |
| Apgar 1min | 5 [3–7] | 5 [2–6] | 0.03 |
| Apgar 5min | 7 [6–8] | 7 [5.5–8] | 0.02 |
| Female sex | 146 (41) | 143 (46) | 0.18 |
| Inborn | 287 (81) | 252 (82) | 0.87 |
| Breastmilk | 272 (88) | 270 (92) | 0.16 |
| Milk fortification | 254 (84) | 241 (81) | 0.38 |
| Cesarean section | 257 (72) | 230 (74) | 0.55 |
| Maternal infection | 85 (24) | 38 (12) | < 0.001 |
| Antenatal corticosteroid | 293 (83) | 253 (83) | 0.79 |
| Multiple gestation | 136 (39) | 87 (28) | 0.005 |
| Any comorbidity | 308 (96) | 297 (97) | 0.60 |
| Respiratory comorbidity | 300 (93) | 287 (93) | 0.99 |
| Cardiac comorbidity | 150 (47) | 152 (50) | 0.49 |
| Umbilical venous catheter | 268 (78) | 224 (72) | 0.12 |
| Central venous catheter | 210 (62) | 193 (63) | 0.85 |
IQR = interquartile range.