Evidence · Randomised trial
Enteral lactoferrin supplementation for very preterm infants: a randomised placebo-controlled trial.
- Comfort and nursing care
- Enteral feeding
- Infection
- Late-onset sepsis
- Medical
- Necrotising enterocolitis
- Nursing
- Nutrition and gastrointestinal
- Pain and comfort
This paper is from 2019, more than five years ago. Newer evidence may have been published since.
Summary
This large UK multicentre randomised placebo-controlled trial (the ELFIN trial) tested enteral bovine lactoferrin supplementation in infants born before 32 weeks' gestation, recruited across 37 hospitals. Infants received lactoferrin or sucrose placebo daily until 34 weeks' postmenstrual age, with late-onset infection as the primary outcome. Lactoferrin did not significantly reduce late-onset infection compared with placebo. The authors conclude the data do not support routine use of lactoferrin to prevent late-onset infection and associated morbidity or mortality in very preterm infants.
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- Licence:
- Open (Creative Commons)
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