<p><strong>OBJECTIVE: </strong>To determine differences in severe intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) between very-low-birth-weight (≤1500 g, VLBW) infants born to mothers with and without hypertensive disorders (HD).</p>

<p><strong>DESIGN/METHODS: </strong>Retrospective analysis from the Optum Neonatal Database. The primary outcome of interest was severe IVH (grade 3 or 4). Secondary outcomes included other neonatal morbidities, mortality, and length of hospitalization. Outcomes were compared between VLBW infants born to mothers with and without HD.</p>

<p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>A total of 5456 infants met inclusion criteria. After multivariable regression analysis, risks of severe IVH and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) were lower ([OR 0.42, 95% CI 0.33-0.89, p = 0.01] and [OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.58-0.97, p = 0.03], respectively) and median length of hospitalization was decreased in the HD group (49 versus 61 days, p &lt; 0.001).</p>

<p><strong>CONCLUSIONS: </strong>VLBW infants born to mothers with HD have a decreased risk of severe IVH, BPD, and a shorter duration of hospitalization.</p>

<p><strong>OBJECTIVE: </strong>To characterize the independent association between antibiotic exposure in the first week of life and the risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) or death among very preterm infants without culture-confirmed sepsis.</p>

<p><strong>METHODS: </strong>Retrospective cohort study using the Optum Neonatal Database. Infants without culture-confirmed sepsis born less than 1500 g and less than 32 weeks gestation between 1/2010 and 11/2016 were included. The independent association between antibiotic therapy during the first week of life and BPD or death prior to 36 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA) was assessed by multivariable logistic regression.</p>

<p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>Of 4950 infants, 3946 (79.7%) received antibiotics during the first week of life. Rates of BPD or death (41.5% vs. 31.1%, p &lt; 0.001) and the two individual outcomes were significantly higher among antibiotic treated infants. After adjusting for potential confounding variables, antibiotic use in the first week of life was not associated with increased risk of BPD or death (OR 0.96, 95% CI [0.76,1.21]) or BPD among survivors (OR 0.86, 95% CI [0.67,1.09]). Antibiotic use was associated with increased risk of death prior to 36 weeks PMA (OR 3.01, 95% CI [1.59,5.71]), however, secondary analyses suggested this association may be confounded by unmeasured illness severity.</p>

<p><strong>CONCLUSIONS: </strong>Antibiotic exposure in the first week of life among preterm infants without culture-confirmed sepsis was not independently associated with increased risk of BPD or death.</p>