Bovine Colostrum in Prevention of Sepsis and Retinopathy of Prematurity

Evaluation of the Effect of Bovine Colostrum in Prevention of Late Onset Sepsis and Retinopathy of Prematurity

The aim of this study is to evaluate efficacy of bovine colostrum administration as a prophylaxis to decrease the incidence and the occurrence of retinopathy of prematurity in preterm neonates of gestational age less than 32 weeks during their hospital stay.

This study will include a randomized controlled trial carried out on preterm neonates who will fulfill the eligibility criteria delivered at Alexandria University Children's Hospital. Evaluation of the outcome will be done only for those who admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Alexandria University Children's Hospital.

The study will be carried out in 4 phases:

1. First phase: Enrollment and selection phase.
2. Second phase: Intervention phase ( enteral bovine colostrum administration) .
3. Third phase: Evaluation phase.
4. Fourth phase: collected data analysis and results.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Preterm infants ≤ 32 weeks gestational age, weight ≤ 1500 gm. Start feeding in the first 72 hours of life

Exclusion Criteria:

• Exclusion criteria

Patients with any of the following will be excluded:

1. Obvious major congenital abnormalities.
2. Infants expected to be >72 hours of age at the time of randomization.
3. Parental consent lacking/refusal