Intravenous immunoglobulin for prophylaxis of infection in preterm infants

Abstract

Immunodeficiency, particularly antibody deficiency, is a crucial contributory factor to the increased susceptibility to infections in preterm infants. Availability of the recent preparation of intravenous immunoglobulin (ivIgG) led several authors to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of ivIgG for prophylaxis of infection in preterm infants. The results of these studies, although controversial, have pointed out two common findings: (1) ivIgG prophylaxis seems to be effective only in the very preterm infants, with mean birth weight below about 1,300 g: (2) ivIgG seems to be well tolerated by newborn infants.