The Journal of Pediatrics
Volume 148, Issue 5 , Pages 600-605 , May 2006

Efficacy of oral erythromycin for treatment of feeding intolerance in preterm infants

  • Pracha Nuntnarumit, MD, MSc

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
    • Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
    • Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
    • Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Srinakarinwirot University, Bangkok, Thailand
    • Corresponding Author InformationReprint requests: Pracha Nuntnarumit, MD, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Rama VI, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
  • ,
  • Pakaphan Kiatchoosakun, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
    • Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
    • Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
    • Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Srinakarinwirot University, Bangkok, Thailand
  • ,
  • Wacharee Tantiprapa, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
    • Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
    • Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
    • Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Srinakarinwirot University, Bangkok, Thailand
  • ,
  • Suppawat Boonkasidecha, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
    • Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
    • Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
    • Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Srinakarinwirot University, Bangkok, Thailand

Received 18 June 2005 ,Revised 3 November 2005 ,Accepted 7 December 2005.

References 

  1. Berseth CL . Neonatal small intestinal motility (motor responses to feeding in term and preterm infants) . J Pediatr . 1990;117:777–782
  2. Berseth CL . Gastrointestinal motility in the neonate . Clin Perinatol . 1996;23:179–190
  3. Asai T . Erythromycin and motilin as gastrointestinal prokinetic agents . Eur J Anaesthesiol . 1997;14:3–6
  4. Curry JI , Lander TD , Stringer MD . Review article (erythromycin as a prokinetic agent in infants and children) . Aliment Pharmacol Ther . 2001;15:595–603
  5. Jadcherla SR , Berseth CL . Effect of erythromycin on gastroduodenal contractile activity in developing neonates . J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr . 2002;34:16–22
  6. Tomomasa T , Miyazaki M , Koizumi T , Kuroume T . Erythromycin increases gastric antral motility in human premature infants . Biol Neonate . 1993;63:349–352
  7. Itoh Z , Suzuki T , Nakaya M . Gastrointestinal motor-stimulating activity of macrolide antibiotics and analysis of their effects on the canine gut . Antimicrob Agents Chemother . 1984;26:863–869
  8. Kubota M , Nakamura T , Motokura T , Mori S , Nishida A . Erythromycin improves gastrointestinal motility in extremely low birth weight infants . Acta Paediatr Jpn . 1994;36:198–201
  9. Coulie B , Tack J , Peeters T , Janssens J . Involvement of two different pathways in the motor effects of erythromycin on the gastric antrum in humans . Gut . 1998;43:395–400
  10. Costalos C , Gavrili V , Skouteri V , Gounaris A . The effect of low-dose erythromycin on whole gastrointestinal transit time of preterm infants . Early Hum Dev . 2001;65:91–96
  11. Dellagrammaticas HD , Iacovidou N , Megaloyanni E , Papadimitriou M , Kapetanakis J . Effect of low-dose oral erythromycin on gastric aspirates in ventilated neonates less than 32 weeks of gestation (preliminary results) . Biol Neonate . 2002;81:213–216
  12. Patole S , Rao S , Doherty D . Erythromycin as a prokinetic agent in preterm neonates (a systematic review) . Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed . 2005;90(4):F301–F306
  13. Stenson BJ , Middlemist L , Lyon AJ . Influence of erythromycin on establishment of feeding in preterm infants (observations from a randomised controlled trial) . Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed . 1998;79:F212–F214
  14. Patole SK , Almonte R , Kadalraja R , Tuladhar R , Muller R , Whitehall JS . Can prophylactic oral erythromycin reduce time to full enteral feeds in preterm neonates? . Int J Clin Pract . 2000;54:504–508
  15. Oei J , Lui K . A placebo-controlled trial of low-dose erythromycin to promote feed tolerance in preterm infants . Acta Paediatr . 2001;90:904–908
  16. Su BH , Lin HC , Peng CT , Tsai CH . Effect of erythromycin on feeding intolerance in very low birth weight infants (a preliminary observation) . Zhonghua Min Guo Xiao Er Ke Yi Xue Hui Za Zhi . 1998;39:324–326
  17. Nogami K , Nishikubo T , Minowa H , Uchida Y , Kamitsuji H , Takahashi Y . Intravenous low-dose erythromycin administration for infants with feeding intolerance . Pediatr Int . 2001;43:605–610
  18. Sekteera W , Nuntnarumit P , Supapannachart S . Oral erythromycin for treatment of feeding intolerance in preterm infants (a preliminary report) . J Med Assoc Thai . 2002;85(suppl 4):S1177–S1182
  19. Ng PC , So KW , Fung KS , Lee CH , Fok TF , Wong E , et al.   Randomised controlled study of oral erythromycin for treatment of gastrointestinal dysmotility in preterm infants . Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed . 2001;84:F177–F182
  20. El Hennawy AA , Sparks JW , Armentrout D , Huseby V , Berseth CL . Erythromycin fails to improve feeding outcome in feeding-intolerant preterm infants . J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr . 2003;37:281–286
  21. Ng SC , Gomez JM , Rajadurai VS , Saw SM , Quak SH . Establishing enteral feeding in preterm infants with feeding intolerance (a randomized controlled study of low-dose erythromycin) . J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr . 2003;37:554–558
  22. Sims PJ , Waites KB , Crouse DT . Erythromycin lactobionate toxicity in preterm neonates . Pediatr Infect Dis J . 1994;13:164–167
  23. Gouyon JB , Benoit A , Betremieux P , Sandre D , Sgro C , Bavoux F , et al.   Cardiac toxicity of intravenous erythromycin lactobionate in preterm infants . Pediatr Infect Dis J . 1994;13:840–841
  24. Mahon BE , Rosenman MB , Kleiman MB . Maternal and infant use of erythromycin and other macrolide antibiotics as risk factors for infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis . J Pediatr . 2001;139:380–384
  25. George SL , Desu MM . Planning the size and duration of a clinical trial studying the time to some critical event . J Chronic Dis . 1974;27:15–24
  26. Patamasucon P , Kaojarern S , Kusmiesz H , Nelson JD . Pharmacokinetics of erythromycin ethylsuccinate and estolate in infants under 4 months of age . Antimicrob Agents Chemother . 1981;19:736–739
  27. Waites KB , Sims PJ , Crouse DT , Geerts MH , Shoup RE , Hamrick WB , et al.   Serum concentrations of erythromycin after intravenous infusion in preterm neonates treated for Ureaplasma urealyticum infection . Pediatr Infect Dis J . 1994;13:287–293
  28. Cairns P , Craig S , Tubman R . Randomised controlled trial of low-dose erythromycin in preterm infants with feed intolerance [abstract] . Arch Dis Child . 2002;86(suppl I):G24
  29. Jadcherla SR , Klee G , Berseth CL . Regulation of migrating motor complexes by motilin and pancreatic polypeptide in human infants . Pediatr Res . 1997;42:365–369
  30. Tomomasa T , Kuroume T , Arai H , Wakabayashi K , Itoh Z . Erythromycin induces migrating motor complex in human gastrointestinal tract . Dig Dis Sci . 1986;31:157–161
  31. Peeters T . Erythromycin and other macrolides as prokinetic agents . Gastroenterology . 1993;105:1886–1899
  32. Tack J , Janssens J , Vantrappen G , Peeters T , Annese V , Depoortere I , et al.   Effect of erythromycin on gastric motility in controls and in diabetic gastroparesis . Gastroenterology . 1992;103:72–79
  33. Tomomasa T , Tabata M , Nako Y . The effect of oral erythromycin on gastric emptying in neonates with gastric retention [abstract] . Gastroenterology . 1997;112(suppl):A839

 Supported by the Ramathibodi Fund (grant 46018).

 The medication (erythromycin ethyl succinate) and placebo used in this study were provided by Siam Pharmaceutical Ltd, Bangkok, Thailand, which had no involvement in any aspect of the study, including study design; data collection, analysis, and interpretation; manuscript preparation; and the decision to submit the manuscript for publication. The first author wrote the first draft of the manuscript; no grant or other form of payment was received by anyone involved in manuscript preparation.

PII: S0022-3476(05)01187-X

doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2005.12.026

The Journal of Pediatrics
Volume 148, Issue 5 , Pages 600-605 , May 2006