PRESCRIBING AND MONITORING OF GENTAMICIN IN NEONATES

2016 ◽  
Vol 101 (9) ◽  
pp. e2.65-e2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Staton

AimTo evaluate the implementation of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guideline1 with regards to the prescribing, exposure and therapeutic drug level monitoring of gentamicin in early onset neonatal infection.MethodA selection of drug charts for babies who were prescribed gentamicin within 72 hrs of birth were reviewed. The number of doses of gentamicin administered, C-reactive protein (CRP) results, blood culture results and gentamicin trough levels were recorded. A new gentamicin prescription chart was developed based on the NICE clinical guideline1 and the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) alert2 on the safer use of gentamicin for neonates, and was launched on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). A number of months after the new gentamicin prescription chart was introduced, and had therefore had time to become embedded into practice, a selection of babies' drug charts were reviewed and the same information as previously was documented. The information obtained before and after the introduction of the new gentamicin prescription chart was compared.ResultsPrior to the new gentamicin prescription chart 16 prescriptions for gentamicin were reviewed, and in total 47 doses of gentamicin were administered. Blood cultures were negative after five days in all 16 patients. In total 9 gentamicin trough levels were taken with only one level being >2 mg/L. Following the introduction of the new prescription chart another 16 prescriptions for gentamicin were reviewed, and in total 38 doses of gentamicin were administered. Again blood cultures were negative after five days in all 16 patients. In total 14 gentamicin trough levels were taken with two levels being >2 mg/L. Prior to the new gentamicin prescription chart 50% of babies received more than one dose of gentamicin despite having two CRP results <10. This is compared to 31% of babies following the introduction of the new gentamicin prescription chart.ConclusionIt can be concluded that the new gentamicin prescription chart has resulted in a reduction in the exposure of babies to gentamicin, as all babies now have it administered at 36 hourly intervals. There has also been an increase in blood monitoring of trough gentamicin levels, as they are now taken prior to the second dose rather than the third dose. Therefore the new gentamicin prescription chart is safer as toxic levels are identified sooner, which reduces the risk of babies suffering adverse effects.Since the introduction of the new gentamicin prescription chart 31% of babies received more than the necessary number of gentamicin doses, as dictated by the CRP results and blood culture result at 36 hrs. This is a learning point which will be highlighted to the medical and nursing staff on NICU.

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linze F. Hamilton ◽  
Helen E. Gillett ◽  
Adam Smith-Collins ◽  
Jonathan W. Davis

Background: In neonatal intensive care, coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species can be both blood culture contaminants and pathogens. False-positive cultures can result in clinical uncertainty and unnecessary antibiotic use. Objective: This study sought to assess whether a sterile blood culture collection bundle would reduce the incidence of false-positive blood cultures in a regional neonatal intensive care unit. Method: Clinical data was collected from all infants who had blood cultures taken before and after the introduction of the sterile blood culture collection bundle intervention. This intervention required 2% chlorhexidine and full sterile precautions for blood culture collection. False-positive blood culture rates (presence of skin commensals and ≥3 clinical infection signs) were compared before and after the intervention. The number of days of unnecessary antibiotics associated with false-positive blood cultures was also analysed. Results: In the pre-intervention group (PRE) 197 cultures were taken from 161 babies. In the post-intervention group (POST) 170 cultures from 133 babies were acquired. Baseline demographics were similar in both groups. The rate of false-positive cultures in the PRE group versus the POST group was 9/197 (4.6%) compared to 1/170 (0.6%) (p < 0.05). Unnecessary antibiotic exposure was reduced in the PRE group in comparison to the POST group (27 vs. 0 days, p < 0.01). Conclusions: Implementation of sterile blood culture collection intervention reduced the number of false-positive results. This has potential benefit in reducing unnecessary antibiotic use.


2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-91
Author(s):  
Tamer Mohamed ◽  
Ashraf A Askar ◽  
Jamila Chahed

Background: Blood stream infections are major leading causes of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients. Increasing the awareness of the clinicians and nurses about the proper protocol of blood culture test is very important in reducing the contamination rate and the unnecessary requesting of blood culture. Objectives: to reduce the contamination rate and the unnecessary requesting of blood culture from different departments through implementation of hospital wide Quality Improvement Project (QIP). Methodology: Blood cultures were tested in the Microbiology Laboratory of Najran Armed Forces hospital, Saudi Arabia, in the period from June 2019 to July 2020 and their results were compared before and after the implementation of the QIP. Results: The comparison between the blood cultures results before and after QIP implementation showed statistically significant (19.6%) reduction in the contamination rate, (14%) reduction in the total number of blood culture requests and (11.6%) reduction in the negative results rate. Conclusion: The reduction in the total number, negative results and contamination rate of blood culture test after QIP implementation were considered as performance indicators that the recommendations of QIP were effective and implemented strictly.


2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 127-135
Author(s):  
Claudia Deaconu ◽  
◽  
Daniela Opris ◽  
Ruxandra Ionescu ◽  
◽  
...  

Objective. The purpose of the present study was to assess the relevance of therapeutic drug monitoring in spondyloarthritis patients, by determining drug serum levels and anti-drug antibodies and estimating cut-off values for three TNF inhibitors. Methods. Over one year, we enrolled 100 patients with SpA, under consequent treatment with adalimumab (ADL), etanercept (ETA) or infliximab (IFX). Demographic, clinical (BASDAI, ASDAS) and laboratory (ESR, CRP) data was collected together with drug serum level and anti-drug antibodies using the ELISA technique. The statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS software, version 20.0 with the aid of Student t-test, Spearman and Pearson tests. Results. Out of the study cohort, 35% were on ADL, 33% on IFX, and 32% under ETA treatment. Undetectable drug levels correlated to the presence of anti-drug antibodies and to disease activity scores. There were no identified anti-ETA antibodies. For this study lot trough levels are estimated between 2 and 4 μg/mL for an ASDAS-CRP under 2.1. Conclusion. Serum drug level measurement and anti-drug antibody detection can be used as a completion to a clinician’s tools in assessing disease activity, leading to an optimal and personalized manner of patient management.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Tran ◽  
Elaine Dowell ◽  
Stacey Hamilton ◽  
Susan A Dolan ◽  
Kevin Messacar ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Multiple blood cultures have been shown to improve pathogen yield and antimicrobial stewardship for adult patients with suspected serious bacterial infection (SBI). For children, the use of multiple blood cultures is less common and volume recommendations are more complicated, often resulting in single cultures with low volume. Methods In 2010, Children’s Hospital Colorado instituted electronic medical record (EMR) decision support to recommend collection of 2 blood cultures before administration of antibiotics for suspected SBI. Recommended blood culture volumes were calculated by age rather than weight. We evaluated all children admitted to inpatient units between 2008 and 2009 (pre-intervention) and 2011 and 2013 (postintervention) who received antibiotics in the hospital after having blood cultures drawn in the emergency department, excluding those with a length of stay &gt;8 days. We compared blood culture yield, isolate classification (pathogen vs contaminant), and antimicrobial modifications before and after the interventions. Results A total of 3948 children were included in the study. EMR guidelines were associated with a significantly higher number of children with multiple blood cultures drawn before antibiotic administration (88.0% vs 12.3%; P &lt; .001) and an increased percentage of blood cultures with the recommended volume (74.3% vs 15.2%; P &lt; .001), resulting in a significantly higher pathogen isolation rate and improved antimicrobial decisions. Multiple cultures helped define the role of common contaminants in the clinical decision process. Conclusions Multiple blood cultures with age-based volumes taken before starting antibiotics increase pathogen isolation rates and appropriate modification of antimicrobial treatment in children.


2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 112-117
Author(s):  
MA Mannan ◽  
Nazmun Nahar ◽  
Firoz Ahmed ◽  
Ismat Jahan ◽  
Taskina Mosleh ◽  
...  

Background: Pneumonia is one of the causes of neonatal infection and responsible for significant morbidity and mortality, especially in developing countries. The study was aimed to reveal frequency and outcome of pneumonia among hospitalized sick newborn of neonatal intensive care unit. Methodology: This observational study was carried out in the NICU of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) on 94 neonates with the diagnosis of pneumonia admitted from July 2012 to June 2014. All studied neonates were subjected to history taking, clinical examination, routine investigations, chest radiography and blood culture and sensitivity. Results: Incidence of neonatal pneumonia was 43% among admitted neonates with respiratory distress. Mean birth weight and gestational age were 2392±854 and 33±3.9 weeks respectively. Of enrolled infants with pneumonia, 38 (40.4%) were early onset, 24 (25%) were hospital acquired pneumonia and community acquired pneumonia was documented in 14 (14.8 %) and the rest 18 (19%) were ventilator associated pneumonia. Blood culture was positive in 18 (19%) of cases with neonatal pneumonia; most common pathogen isolated was acinetobacter. Mean duration of hospital stay was 19±8 days. Most of the neonatal pneumonia were cured 72 (76%) with therapy, whereas 17 (18%) died during their hospital course. Conclusion: Overall incidence among admitted sick neonates was 8.4% which constituted 34% of distressed neonate. Bangladesh J Child Health 2018; VOL 42 (3) :112-117


2015 ◽  
Vol 101 (1) ◽  
pp. e1.40-e1
Author(s):  
Anne Smits ◽  
Roosmarijn De Cock ◽  
Karel Allegaert ◽  
Sophie Vanhaesebrouck ◽  
Meindert Danhof ◽  
...  

IntroductionA neonatal amikacin dosing regimen was previously developed based on a population pharmacokinetic model. The aim of the current study was to prospectively validate this model-derived dosing regimen.MethodsFirst, early (before and after second dose) therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) observations were evaluated for achieving target trough (<3 mg/L) and peak (>24 mg/L) levels. Secondly, observed concentrations were compared with model-predicted concentrations, whereby the results of an NPDE (normalized prediction distribution error) were considered as well. Subsequently, Monte Carlo simulations were performed. Finally, remaining causes limiting amikacin predictability (prescription errors and disease characteristics of outliers) were explored.ResultsIn 579 neonates [median (range) birth bodyweight 2285 (420–4850) g, postnatal age 2 (1–30) days, gestational age 34 (24–41) weeks], 90.5% of early peak levels reached 24 mg/L and 60.2% of trough levels was <3 mg/L (93.4% ≤5 mg/L). Observations were accurately predicted by the model without bias, which was confirmed by the NPDE. Monte Carlo simulations showed that peak concentrations >24 mg/L were reached in almost all patients. Trough values <3 mg/L were documented in 78–100% and 45–96% of simulated cases, respectively, when ibuprofen was co-administered or not. Suboptimal trough levels were found in patient subgroups with postnatal age <14 days and current weight >2000g.ConclusionsProspective validation of a model-based neonatal amikacin dosing regimen resulted in optimized peak and trough concentrations in almost all patients. Adapted dosing for patients with suboptimal trough levels was proposed. Besides improving dosing individualization, feasibility and relevance of neonatal prospective validation studies was demonstrated.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S131-S132
Author(s):  
Chia-Yu Chiu ◽  
Amara Sarwal ◽  
Addi Feinstein

Abstract Background It is intuitive that obtaining blood cultures prior to administering antibiotics can increase the likelihood of a positive blood culture result. Surviving Sepsis Campaign Hour-1 bundle stipulates that obtaining a blood culture and administering antibiotics within 1 hour is a critical determinant of survival. However, the diagnostic sensitivity shortly after antibiotic administration remains unknown. In clinical practice, some health care providers delay antibiotic administration in order to first obtain a blood culture. Methods Adult patients (&gt; 18 years of age) admitted to the Medicine Intensive Care Unit in Lincoln Medical Center, located in South Bronx, New York City, from 09/2019 to 12/2019. Patients needed to have at least one blood culture obtained within 12 hours of admission and have received intravenous antibiotics during the admission to the Medicine Intensive Care Unit. Results Of 327 patients screened, 196 met enrolment criteria and 253 sets of blood cultures underwent analysis. Blood cultures grew bacteria in 21.8% of pre-antimicrobial group whereas 26.9% in post-antimicrobial group (p=0.37). 25.9% of patients received antibiotics within 1 hour before blood culture sampling, while 34.0% of patients received antibiotics &gt;1 hour prior to obtaining blood culture. Blood culture results positive for coagulase-negative staphylococci were more prevalent in the pre-antimicrobial group. Table 1. Patient Characteristics Table 2. Number of blood cultures obtained and blood culture result Table 3. Initial antimicrobial agent and 30-day mortality Conclusion In the sequence of blood culture and antibiotic administration, there is no 30-day survival difference in pre-antimicrobial group and post-antimicrobial group (p=0.15), as long as both received antibiotics within 12 hours of coming to the hospital. Coagulase-negative staphylococci were higher in the pre-antimicrobial group which may indicate that the health care provider hastily obtained the blood culture in a non-sterile manner. Antibiotic administration should not be delayed because of pending blood culture collection. In addition, given that more than 70% of patients were ultimately found to have negative blood cultures, it would be useful to develop practical tools to identify low-risk patients that can be treated without obtaining blood culture, as the blood culture would not be likely to provide diagnostic information. Figure 1: Hours Before and After IV Antibiotic Started Figure 2: Distribution of Blood Culture Before and After IV Antibiotics Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures


2018 ◽  
Vol 57 (11) ◽  
pp. 1310-1317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Freya C. Harewood ◽  
Nigel Curtis ◽  
Andrew J. Daley ◽  
Penelope A. Bryant ◽  
Amanda Gwee ◽  
...  

The volume of blood sampled for culture critically influences the results. This study aimed to determine (1) the volume of blood submitted for culture, (2) the proportion of blood cultures with adequate volume, (3) whether measured improvement from a previous educational intervention had been sustained, and (4) the impact of blood volume on culture result. The volume of blood submitted for cultures was determined over a 13-month period by weighing bottles before and after collection and before and after an educational intervention. The volume of blood submitted in 5127 culture bottles were measured. Fewer than 50% of all cultures were deemed adequate. A significant pathogen was isolated in 4.7% of blood cultures, and low-volume cultures were more likely to yield contaminant isolates (47/2422 [1.9%] vs 22/2705 [0.8%], P = .0005). Subsequently, the higher rate of contaminant isolates from low-volume cultures may affect selection and rationalization of antibiotic therapy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s295-s295
Author(s):  
Christina Yen ◽  
Baevin Feeser ◽  
Aleah King ◽  
Preeti Mehrotra ◽  
Sharon Wright

Background: Resin-containing blood culture bottles (RBB) are used to increase the isolation of microorganisms by binding antimicrobials in sampled blood. Since RBB implementation in April 2018, our infection preventionists noted an increase in positive blood cultures on routine surveillance. Objective: To describe the change in bacterial isolation post-RBB implementation. Methods: All positive blood culture sets drawn in adult inpatient units or the emergency room between October 2017 and September 2018 and their associated organisms were obtained from the hospital laboratory database. Then, regardless of central-line placement or “present on admission” designation, the 2019 NHSN surveillance definitions for laboratory-confirmed bloodstream infection (LCBI-1 and LCBI-2) were applied to categorize all positive cultures as “common commensals” (CCs) or pathogens. A univariate analysis was performed using the Mantel-Haenszel χ2 test (OpenEpi version 3.01). Results: Although the number of monthly blood cultures drawn remained effectively stable before and after implementation (pre-RBB median, 3,512.5; post-RBB median, 3,626), the rate ratio of positive cultures increased by 1.36 times: pre-RBB median, 127 sets per month and post-RBB median, 172.5 sets per month (χ2 = 5.785; P = .008). The rate ratio of pathogen-containing cultures increased by 1.40 times (pre-RBB median, 98 sets per month and post-RBB median, 137.5 sets per month; χ&sup2; = 5.615; P = .009) with only a 1.24 increase in CCs (pre-RBB median, 29 and post-RBB median, 36; χ&sup2; = 0.553; P = .229) (Fig. 1). Conclusions: After RBB implementation, the monthly incidence rate of pathogen-containing sets increased. Additionally, the increase in these sets as well as of overall positive blood cultures was statistically significant. Current literature on RBBs does not suggest preferential increased isolation of pathogens. Further study is needed to determine whether our findings are related to blood-culturing practices or the RBBs themselves.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None


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