Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia Prevention Through the Use of Enteral Vitamin A: Does It Work? :

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in premature infants can lead to significant health problems over the full lifespan of affected individuals. Significant advances have been made to prevent BPD, ranging from prevention of prematurity, use of surfactant, and better management in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Vitamin A given intramuscularly has been found effective to prevent BPD but challenging to provide. There is a water-soluble form that might have adequate absorption when taken orally. Rakshasbhuvankar et al (10.1542/peds.2020-009985) evaluated this vitamin A preparation compared to placebo in a double-blind randomized controlled trial involving 188 infants <28 weeks’ gestation in Australia. Unfortunately, there were no differences in mortality or the risk of developing BPD. It may be that a larger study would have identified a smaller difference in outcomes. In the absence of such evidence, vitamin A does not seem to be beneficial for this indication. Read this study and decide if you agree.