Letouzey M, Lorthe E, Marchand-Martin L, et al. - Researchers performed a secondary analysis of the EPIPAGE-2 study with the aim to determine if early empirical antibiotics are associated with neonatal adverse outcomes in very preterm infants without risk factors of early-onset sepsis.

• The EPIPAGE-2 study is a prospective national population-based cohort study of all liveborn infants at 22-31 completed weeks of gestation in France in 2011.

• There were 648 very preterm infants who were recorded to be at low risk of early-onset sepsis; early antibiotic treatment was administered to 173 (26.2%) of these infants.

• Risk of severe cerebral lesions appeared higher and bronchopulmonary dysplasia appeared moderate-to-severe in correlation with early empirical antibiotics administered in very preterm infants at low risk of early-onset sepsis.