Antibiotic use among extremely low birth-weight infants from 2009 to 2021: a retrospective observational study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess trends in antibiotic use across a large cohort of extremely low birth-weight (<1000 g; ELBW) infants admitted to academic and community neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) across the USA over a 13-year period. DESIGN: Repeated cross-sectional cohort study. SETTING: Premier Health Database, a comprehensive administrative database of inpatient encounters from academic and community hospitals across the US. PATIENTS: ELBW inborn infants admitted to NICUs from 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2021. INTERVENTIONS: N/A MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Absolute and relative changes in (1) proportion of ELBW infants with antibiotic exposure and (2) days of therapy (DOT) per 1000 patient days, over time. Average annual differences were estimated using generalised linear regression with 95% CI. Disposition trends were also measured. RESULTS: Among 36 701 infants admitted to 402 NICUs, the proportion exposed to antibiotics was essentially unchanged (89.9% in 2009 to 89.3% in 2021; absolute reduction of -0.6%); generalised linear regression estimated an annual absolute difference of -0.3% (95% CI (-0.6%) to (-0.07%); p=0.01). DOT per 1000 patient days decreased from 337 in 2009 to 210 in 2021, a 37.8% relative difference and annual relative difference of -4.3% ((-5.2%) to (-3.5%); p<0.001). Mortality was unchanged during the study period. CONCLUSIONS: We found a substantial reduction in antibiotic DOT despite no substantive change in the proportion of infants exposed to antibiotics. This suggests the success of stewardship efforts aimed at antibiotic duration and highlight the need for improved approaches to identifying ELBW infants at highest risk of infection.

Antibiotic Use Among Infants Admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Units.

This cross-sectional study examines antibiotic exposure, days of therapy, types of antibiotics, and changes in use patterns among newborns in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) across the US from 2009 to 2021.

Measles Serostatus Among Parturient Patients at 2 Philadelphia Hospitals in 2021.

This observational study explores whether rubella serostatus, which is routinely assessed during pregnancy, can serve as a proxy for measles serostatus in parturient persons.

Perinatal COVID-19 maternal and neonatal outcomes at two academic birth hospitals.

OBJECTIVE: Describe 1-month outcomes among newborns of persons with perinatal COVID-19. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective observational study of pregnant persons who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 between 14 days before and 3 days after delivery and their newborns, from 3/2020 to 3/2021 at two urban high-risk academic hospitals. Phone interviews were conducted to determine 1-month newborn outcomes. RESULTS: Among 9748 pregnant persons, 209 (2.1%) tested positive for perinatal SARS-CoV-2. Symptomatically infected persons were more likely to have a preterm delivery due to worsening maternal condition and their newborns were more likely to test positive for SARS-CoV-2 compared with asymptomatic persons. Six of 191 (3.1%) infants tested were positive for SARS-CoV-2; none had attributable illness before discharge. Of 169 eligible families, 132 (78.1%) participated in post-discharge interviews; none reported their newborn tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by 1 month of age. CONCLUSION: Symptomatic perinatal COVID-19 had a substantial effect on maternal health but no apparent short-term effect on newborns.