Table 3 Clinical and laboratory characteristics of the studied groups through 10 days of therapy

Duration of NICU admission (days)^b

15.4 ± 4.08

14.6 ± 2.48

0.46

Patients survival survivors/died^a

18/2

19/1

0.999

Antibiotics duration (days)^b

14.80 ± 3.99

14.55 ± 2.46

0.81

Patients on nasal oxygen^a

14 (70%)

13 (65%)

0.999

Nasal oxygen duration (days)^b

2.79 ± 1.25

2.31 ± 0.75

0.245

Patients on CPAP^a

7 (35%)

8 (40%)

0.999

CPAP duration (days)^b

3.0 ± 1.16

2.38 ± 0.74

0.248

Patients on mechanical ventilation^a

2 (10%)

1 (5%)

0.999

Inotropes^a

10 (50%)

12 (60%)

0.999

Inotropes duration (days)^b

5.8 ± 2.2

5.0 ± 1.86

0.366

WBCs (10⁹/l)^b

8.07 ± 2.48

8.19 ± 4.74

0.922

Platelet (10⁹/l)^b

232.35 ± 74.70

257.10 ± 68.79

0.283

Serum C-reactive protein (mg/L)^c

24 (6–96)

12 (6–96)

0.256

INR^b

1.08 ± 0.24

1.06 ± 0.21

0.781

Blood glucose (mg/dL)^b

126.70 ± 22.87

136.75 ± 33.91

0.279

TNF alpha (pg/dL)^b

119.54 ± 58.46

80.73 ± 50.25

0.030

Delta TNF alpha (pg/dL) (level on 10th day–score on admission)^c

 − 33.51 (− 113.23: 56.12)

 − 86.84 (− 181.11: 13.40)

0.001

Serum creatinine (mg/dL)^b

0.47 ± 0.25

0.52 ± 0.32

0.547

AST (IU/L) ^b

17.08 ± 5.47

19.49 ± 8.40

0.288

ALT (IU/L) ^b

17.83 ± 7.18

18.56 ± 9.96

0.790

PELOD score at 10 days^c

0 (0–11)

0 (0–10)

0.617

Delta PELOD score (score on 10th day–score on admission)

0 [(− 10)–(10)]

0 [(− 9)–(0)]

0.547

Acute kidney injury^a

3 (15%)

3 (15%)

0.999

Acute lung injury^a

2 (10%)

1 (5%)

0.999

Disseminated intravascular coagulopathy^a

0

0

Thrombocytopenia^a

2 (10%)

2 (10%)

0.999

Anemia required blood transfusion^a

5 (25%)

4 (20%)

0.999