An Evaluation of Various Ventilator-Associated Infection Criteria in a PICU.

OBJECTIVE: To describe characteristics and overlap associated with various ventilator-associated infection criteria in the PICU. DESIGN: Retrospective observational study. SETTING: A quaternary care children's hospital PICU. PATIENTS: Children ventilated more than 48 hours, excluding patients with tracheostomy. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Ventilator-associated infection, including pneumonia, infection-related ventilator-associated condition, tracheobronchitis, and lower respiratory tract infection were defined according to criteria from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or medical literature. Clinical data were abstracted to assign diagnoses of each ventilator-associated infection. In 300 episodes of mechanical ventilation, there were 30 individual episodes of ventilator-associated infection. Nine episodes met more than one definition. Rates per 1,000 ventilator days were 2.60 for ventilator-associated pneumonia, 2.16 for infection-related ventilator-associated condition, 5.19 for ventilator-associated tracheobronchitis, and 6.92 for lower respiratory tract infection. The rate of any ventilator-associated infection was 12.98 per 1,000 ventilator days. Individual criteria had similar risk factors and outcomes. Risk factors for development of any ventilator-associated infection included older age (p = 0.003) and trauma (p = 0.007), while less cardiac surgery patients developed ventilator-associated infection (p = 0.015). On multivariate analysis, trauma was the only independent risk factor (adjusted odds ratio, 3.10; 95% CI, 1.15-8.38). Developing any ventilator-associated infection was associated with longer duration of mechanical ventilation (p < 0.001) and longer PICU length of stay (p < 0.001) but not PICU mortality (p = 0.523). CONCLUSIONS: There is little overlap in diagnosis of various ventilator-associated infection. However, the risk factors and outcomes associated with individual criteria are similar, indicating that they may have validity in identifying true pathology. Ventilator-associated infection in general is likely a larger problem than indicated by low hospital-reported rates of ventilator-associated pneumonia. There is clinical confusion due to the presence of several diagnostic criteria for ventilator-associated infection. Developing a more inclusive and clinically relevant criterion for diagnosing ventilator-associated infection is warranted to accurately assess their impact and improve guidance for clinicians in evaluating and treating ventilator-associated infection.

Linezolid-Associated Thrombocytopenia in Children With Renal Impairment.

Impaired renal function has been associated with an increased risk of thrombocytopenia in adults receiving linezolid. Findings from this retrospective cohort demonstrate an association between thrombocytopenia and lower creatinine clearance in children receiving linezolid.

Antimicrobial prophylaxis for external ventricular drains in pediatric neurosurgical patients.

BACKGROUND: Our goal was to describe the use of antibiotics for surgical prophylaxis of external ventricular drains (EVDs) in a pediatric neurosurgical population and determine the incidence of EVD-related infections among different antimicrobial prophylaxis strategies. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: This retrospective chart review included patients up to 18 years old who underwent EVD insertion at either of two tertiary care academic hospitals in the same health system between August 1, 2008, and July 31, 2012. Patients were included if they received at least one dose of antibiotics before EVD insertion. Patients who received only perioperative antibiotics were compared with those who also received antibiotics after this period. The primary endpoint was incidence of EVD-related infection. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize baseline characteristics and compare antibiotic regimens between groups. Pearson's chi square and Mann Whitney U tests compared nonparametric data. RESULTS: A total of 182 EVD insertions were documented, and 88 included in the study. Of these 88, 27 were associated only with perioperative doses of antibiotics, and 61 with prolonged antibiotic use. Baseline characteristics and antibiotic choices were similar between the groups. At least 55 (63%) catheters were antibiotic-impregnated, but types of catheters couldn't be compared between groups due to insufficient data. No central nervous system infections were identified in either group, so the primary objective could not be evaluated statistically. CONCLUSION: No infections were identified in any study subjects during EVD treatment. An adequately powered, multi-center prospective study should be performed to determine if prolonged use of antibiotics beyond the perioperative period is of benefit.

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.

Optimized antimicrobial dosing strategies: a survey of pediatric hospitals.

BACKGROUND: Extended-interval aminoglycoside (EIAG) and extended- and continuous-infusion ß-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.

An ethical analysis of opt-out HIV screening for pregnant women.

Critical advances in prevention of mother-to-child-transmission (MTCT) of the HIV in the perinatal period have changed practice recommendations for HIV screening for pregnant women. Using case studies we illustrate the ethical complexities and implications of opt-out HIV testing for pregnant women. Despite the potential for compromised informed consent, an opt-out HIV screening approach is ethically defensible.

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.

System-wide implementation of the use of an extended-infusion piperacillin/tazobactam dosing strategy: feasibility of utilization from a children's 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's hospital. METHODS: This was a prospective observational study of patients aged >30 days who received PT after admission to a freestanding, tertiary care children's 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's hospital. Ninety-two percent of patients received our institution's preferred dosing regimen; a small percentage of patients still needed to receive traditional infusion times.

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's 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 immuno-logically 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.

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.

Continuous infusion of nafcillin for sternal osteomyelitis in an infant after cardiac surgery.

We report the use of the continuous infusion of nafcillin for the treatment of an infant who had methicillinsusceptible Staphylococcus aureus sternal osteomyelitis not responsive to traditional nafcillin dosing. The patient was successfully treated with surgical debridement and the continuous infusion of nafcillin. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing the successful use of the continuous infusion of nafcillin to treat an infant who had sternal osteomyelitis after cardiac surgery.

Esophageal diverticulum: a complication of histoplasmosis in children.

We report three boys, ages 8 to 14 years, who experienced dysphagia or chest pain while eating. In each patient, contrast esophagrams or esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) demonstrated mid-esophageal traction diverticula, and serologic findings were compatible with acute or recent histoplasmosis. Diverticula appear to result from esophageal traction induced by inflammatory changes in adjacent infected lymph nodes. Antifungal and anti-inflammatory therapies were individualized in each case; all patients recovered fully.