Survey of Congenital Heart Surgeons’ Preferences for Antimicrobial Prophylaxis for Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Patients

Patients with congenital heart defects are a unique population with generally immature immune systems. Fragility in the postoperative period may contribute to surgical site infections (SSIs), a life threatening complication for this population. The need for postoperative antimicrobial prophylaxis for these patients is a standard of care that is indisputable. When choosing an antimicrobial regimen for surgical prophylaxis, consideration should be given to balancing the prevention of nosocomial infections, avoiding emergence of bacterial resistance, and minimizing drug toxicities and cost

System-Wide Implementation of the Use of an Extended-Infusion Piperacillin/Tazobactam Dosing Strategy: Feasibility of Utilization From a Children\u27s Hospital Perspective

Background Use of extended infusions of piperacillin/tazobactam (PT) in adult patients has been described, but data in children are limited. Objective The goal of this study was to determine the feasibility of using an extended-infusion PT dosing strategy as the standard of care in a children\u27s hospital. Methods This was a prospective observational study of patients aged \u3e30 days who received PT after admission to a freestanding, tertiary care children\u27s hospital. After institution of an extended-infusion PT dosing protocol as the standard dosing option, patients receiving PT were prospectively assessed for presence of and reasons for changes in dosing regimen. Results A total of 332 patients, with a median age of 5 years (interquartile range, 1.9–12 years) and median weight of 19.9 kg (interquartile range, 11.7 – 37.6 kg) received PT (100 mg/kg based on piperacillin component). Extended-infusion PT was used for the duration of PT therapy in 92% (n = 304) of patients. Twenty-eight patients (8%) received a traditional infusion over 30 minutes, with 19 of 28 being changed from extended infusion and 9 of 28 being empirically prescribed traditional infusion PT. The most commonly encountered reason for not using extended infusions was coadministration of vancomycin (17 of 28 [61%]) and lack of compatibility data with PT. Dosing errors, which were voluntarily reported, were infrequent (1.8% [n = 6]). The few observed dosing errors were likely attributable to the overall ordering process at our institution, which requires ordering as the milligram per kilogram dose as total PT rather than based on piperacillin component as is commonly documented in pediatric dosing references. Conclusions Results of this study suggest that extended-infusion PT dosing was feasible in this specific children\u27s hospital. Ninety-two percent of patients received our institution\u27s preferred dosing regimen; a small percentage of patients still needed to receive traditional infusion times

Optimized Antimicrobial Dosing Strategies: A Survey of Pediatric Hospitals

Background Extended-interval aminoglycoside (EIAG) and extended- and continuous-infusion β-lactam (EIBL and CIBL) dosing strategies are increasingly used in adults, but pediatric literature is limited. Objective The objective of this study was to describe the use of EIAG, EIBL, and CIBL dosing in pediatric hospitals in the USA. Study Design, Setting, and Participants A national survey of children’s hospitals was conducted. A single practitioner from each target hospital was identified through the Children’s Hospital Association. Practice-based survey questions identified whether hospitals utilize EIAG, EIBL, and CIBL dosing. Main Outcome Measure The main outcome measure was the percentage utilization of the dosing strategies, with secondary outcomes being the reasons for not using these dosing strategies. Results Seventy-seven of 215 identified practitioners (36 %) participated in the survey. EIAG, EIBL, and CIBL dosing were utilized in 63 %, 24 %, and 13 % of responding hospitals, respectively. The most common reasons for not using EIAG were concern regarding lack of efficacy data (56 %) and concern regarding the duration of the drug-free period (41 %). Respondents who did not utilize EIBL cited concern due to lack of pediatric EIBL efficacy data (54 %), the need for more intravenous access (54 %), intravenous medication compatibility issues (39 %), and the time during which the patient is attached to an intravenous infusion (31 %). Conclusion This survey of children’s hospitals indicates that EIAG is used in over 50 % of hospitals, but there is some lag in adoption of EIBL and CIBL dosing, both of which are used in fewer than 25 % of hospitals. Additional studies may provide much-needed evidence to increase the utilization of these strategies

Evaluating the Duration of Post-Operative Cefuroxime Prophylaxis on Infectious Outcomes in Pediatric Cardiovascular Surgery Patients.

Abstract of poster presented at: Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting; May 2010; Vancouver, British Columbia

Assessment of the Validity of Reported Antibiotic Allergic Reactions in Pediatric Patients

Study Objective. To determine whether a reported antibiotic allergy was likely to have been immunologically mediated. Design. Questionnaire-based study. Setting. Tertiary care, freestanding children\u27s hospital. Patients. One hundred patients aged 1 month-18 years for whom guardians reported an allergy to an antibiotic at the time of hospital admission between October 2009 and March 2010. Intervention. Guardians of the patients were interviewed by using a standardized allergy assessment questionnaire. Measurements and Main Results. Based on answers to the questionnaire, the reported allergic reactions were categorized to determine if they were true allergies or adverse reactions. Among the 100 patients, reported allergies were categorized as immunologically mediated reactions in 58%, non-immunologically mediated adverse drug reactions in 27%, no reaction in 3%, and unknown in 12%. Reactions to penicillins, cephalosporins, or sulfonamides were reported most frequently and were attributed to immunologically mediated reactions in 68% (26/38), 74% (17/23), and 67% (10/15) of instances, respectively. Conclusion. Use of the allergy assessment questionnaire determined that 58% of the 100 reported antibiotic allergies fulfilled criteria for an immunologically mediated reaction. These findings underscore the utility of an allergy assessment questionnaire, versus a simple drug history, in improving the accuracy of reported antibiotic reactions

Outcomes of Extended-Infusion Piperacillin/Tazobactam in Pediatric Patients.

Poster presented at: ID Week 2013, October 2013, San Francisco, California

Efficacy of Limited Cefuroxime Prophylaxis in Pediatric Patients After Cardiovascular Surgery

Purpose The efficacy of limited cefuroxime prophylaxis in pediatric patients after cardiovascular surgery was evaluated. Methods All patients age 18 years or younger who underwent cardiovascular surgery and received postoperative care from the cardiovascular surgery team between February and July 2006 (preintervention group) and between August 2006 and January 2007 (postintervention group) were eligible for study inclusion. Patients were excluded if they did not receive cefuroxime as postoperative prophylaxis, had a preexisting infection, underwent cardiac transplantation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or underwent delayed sternal closure. The preintervention group received prolonged cefuroxime prophylaxis, and the postintervention group received 24 hours of cefuroxime prophylaxis. Data collected included patient demographics and clinical and laboratory markers of infection, as well as microbiological evidence of and treatment courses for documented or presumed infections. Results A total of 210 patients were enrolled in the study. The number of patients who required additional antibiotics for suspicion of clinical infection did not significantly differ between the preintervention and postintervention groups (18.6% versus 26.9%, respectively), nor did the rate of documented infection (bacteremia, urinary tract infection, endocarditis, sepsis) (42.1% versus 48.3%, respectively). Moreover, indications for the antibiotics initiated were similar between the preintervention and postintervention groups. Clinical and laboratory signs of postoperative infection were similar between groups. There were no differences in postoperative white blood cell counts, peak serum glucose levels, and platelet nadir between groups. Conclusion Limiting postoperative cefuroxime prophylaxis to 24 hours did not increase infectious outcomes in pediatric patients

Linezolid-Associated Thrombocytopenia in Children with Renal Impairment

Poster presented at ID Week, October 2013, San Francisco, California

Implementing Extended-Infusion Cefepime as Standard of Care in a Children’s Hospital: A Prospective Descriptive Study

Background: Extended-infusion cefepime (EIC) has been associated with decreased mortality in adults, but to our knowledge, there are no studies in children. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of implementing EIC as the standard dosing strategy in a pediatric population. Methods: This was a descriptive study of children aged 1 month to 17 years, including patients in the intensive care unit, who received cefepime after admission to a freestanding, tertiary care children’s hospital. Patients were excluded if they were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit or received cefepime in the outpatient, operating, or emergency department areas. Demographic and clinical data for patients who received cefepime from April through August 2013, the period following EIC implementation, were extracted from the medical records. Results: A total of 150 patients were included in the study, with a median age (interquartile range [IQR]) of 6 years (2-12.3 years) and median weight (IQR) of 20.7 kg (13.2-42.8 kg); 143 patients received cefepime via extended infusions, and 10 (7.0%) of those were changed to a 30-minute infusion during treatment. The most common reasons for infusion time change were intravenous (IV) incompatibility and IV access concerns, responsible for 50% of changes. Dosing errors and reported incidents during therapy were sparse (n = 12, 8.0%) and were most commonly related to renal dosing errors and/or initial dose error by prescriber. Conclusions: Because 93.0% of the patients who initially received EIC remained on EIC, implementation of EIC as the standard dosing strategy was feasible in this pediatric hospital

A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Catheter-Related Infectious Event Rates Using Antibiotic-Impregnated Catheters Versus Conventional Catheters in Pediatric Cardiovascular Surgery Patients

We conducted a randomized, controlled clinical trial to determine whether a difference in catheter-associated blood stream infection (CABSI) incidence existed between children who underwent cardiac surgery and had a central venous catheter impregnated with minocycline and rifampin versus those who had a conventional, nonimpregnated catheter after cardiac surgery. Due to a lower number of infections than expected, the study was terminated early. Among 288 evaluable patients, the rates of CABSI and line-related complications were similar between the 2 groups