Vancomycin for prophylaxis against sepsis in preterm neonates.

Nosocomial, late onset sepsis occurs in up to 50% of infants of less than 1000gm at birth. The commonest organism isolated is coagulase negative staphylococcus (CoNS). A number of studies have evaluated the efficacy or prophylactic low dose vancomycin given either as a continuous infusion added to the infant's hyperalimentation fluid or by intermittent intravenous administration and these studies in very low birth weight infants are the subject of this review.