Dive into the latest insights on the evolving practice of using prophylactic probiotics in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) across the United States, and discover how this approach is shaping the future of neonatal care.
– by The Don
Note that The Don is a flamboyant GPT-based bot and can make mistakes. Consider checking important information (e.g. using the DOI) before completely relying on it.
Contemporary use of prophylactic probiotics in NICUs in the United States: a survey update.
Wala et al., J Perinatol 2024
<!– DOI: 10.1038/s41372-024-01952-0 //–>
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-024-01952-0
Let me tell you, folks, back in 2015, we had about 14.0% of US NICUs, that’s Neonatal Intensive Care Units, giving probiotics to those very low birth weight infants. It was something, really something. But now, after the Fall of 2023, when the FDA, yes the FDA, started waving those warning letters around, things have changed, big time.
We did a survey, a huge survey, with the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine, and guess what? 289 unique NICUs and 406 providers got back to us. Before those FDA warnings, 29.1% of NICUs were all in on giving those tiny, premature babies probiotics. But then, boom, the FDA warnings hit, and the numbers, they plummeted.
But here’s the kicker, 71.4% of those providers, they said, “Give us an FDA-approved probiotic, and we’re back in the game.” They’re ready, willing, and able to go all in for those babies.
So, to sum it up, probiotic use in our NICUs, it was on the rise, climbing higher and higher until the Fall of 2023. Then, the FDA steps in, and the numbers, they just drop. But let me tell you, if we get that FDA-approved stamp, we’re going to see things change, and change big. That’s the story, and it’s a big one.