Antibiotic Use in Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Units; Multicenter Point Prevalence Study

Abstract

Objective: Identifying antibiotic use in pediatric and neonatal intensive care units with a point prevalence study in Adana, Turkey's sixth largest city.

Material and Methods: In this point prevalence study, demographic information and antibiotic treatment data were taken on the same day from patients in pediatric and neonatal intensive care units of 6 hospitals located in Adana's city center.

Results: Four pediatric intensive care units (two university, one research and training hospital, and one public hospital) and six neonatal intensive care units (two university, one research and training hospital, one public hospital, and two private hospital) were included in the study; 220 patients were at the intensive care units at the time of the study-44 (20%) of the patients were in the pediatric intensive care units, and 176 (80%) of them were at the neonatal intensive care units. Also, 146 (66.4%) of the patients were using antibiotics. The frequency of antibiotic use was 72.7% in the pediatric intensive care units and 64.8% in neonatal intensive care units. There was a pediatric infectious disease physician at the university and research and training hospital. Antibiotic usage was lower (p= 0.002) in clinics where pediatric infectious disease physician consultations could be done. Dual antibiotic combination was applied most frequently. Mostly, ampicillin was preferred at neonatal intensive care units. Clarithromycin was used as a second choice because of seasonal lower respiratory tract infections. Vancomycin was the most preferred antibiotic in pediatric intensive care units, and meropenem and linezolid were the second and third choices. At both intensive care units, use of empiric antibiotic treatment was more frequent. Empiric treatment was applied in 22 (68.7%) patients in the pediatric intensive care units and 95 (83.3%) in neonatal intensive care units. Antibiotics were given to 14.3% of the patients in line with the resulting cultures.

Conclusion: Intensive care units are services where antibiotics are used most frequently both in Turkey and in the world. In our opinion, protocols need to be established in clinics, national and international guides should be followed; and pediatric infectious disease physician consultations should be increased in order to reduce the frequency of antibiotic use, inappropriate indications, and inappropriate doses.