Medical treatment of gastroesophageal reflux in the neonatal intensive care unit: current practice

Journal of Perinatology, February 2025

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Lockyear C, Stark A, Foote HP, Agyeman A, Bouleqcha M, Cohen N, Matusevich C, Pantsari A, Wang S, Rent S, Malcolm W, Tolia VN, Greenberg RG, Aleem S.

The objective of this study was to determine current prescribing practice of acid-suppressive therapy in preterm infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). A cohort study of infants 22 to 27 weeks gestation were discharged from Pediatrix Medical Group NICUs between 2015 and 2020. The study showed that acid-suppressive therapies are used commonly in preterm infants and receipt is higher in infants with lower BWs. Use has significantly decreased over time and appears to be targeted, with many infants treated for one-week courses and without a diagnosis of GERD.