Erythromycin prophylaxis in newborns

Ever wonder why babies receive erythromycin eye ointment at birth and if it’s really necessary? We’re going to answer that and many other EYE-opening questions in today’s episode! 

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This episode was written by pediatricians Lidia Park and Tammy Yau with content support from Dean Blumberg (UC Davis pediatric infectious disease). Pediatricians Tammy and Lidia take full responsibility for any errors or misinformation.  

Key Points: 

• Erythromycin eye ointment is given to newborn babies to prevent against gonococcal infection, it does not cover chlamydia infections. 10% of babies who are exposed to gonococcus can still get eye infections even when given erythromycin 
• Gonococcal eye infections (ophthalmia neonatorum) can cause ulcers, rupture, and blindness. Disseminated infections can cause arthritis, bacteremia, and meningitis 

Sources: 

• Red book “Gonococcal infections”, “Chlamydia”, “Neonatal ophthalmia prevention” chapters 
• Kapoor VS, Evans JR, Vedula SS. Interventions for preventing ophthalmia neonatorum. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020 Sep 21;9(9):CD001862. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD001862.pub4. PMID: 32959365; PMCID: PMC8524318. 
• Neoreviews (2022) 23 (9): e603–e612. https://doi.org/10.1542/neo.23-9-e603 
• Commentary From the AAP Section on Ophthalmology: Century of Changes | Pediatrics | American Academy of Pediatrics