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[The treatment of septicemia in childhood using time-spaced administration of antibiotic combinations]
M Riedl1, F Allerberger, J P Guggenbichler
1Universitätsklinik für Kinderheikunde Innsbruck.
Insights
Sequential antibiotic administration, spaced 4 hours apart, proved more effective for treating pediatric sepsis than simultaneous application. This spaced regimen resulted in a significantly lower fatality rate of 4% in a 1986-1990 study.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Pharmacology
- Clinical Microbiology
Abstract:
Theoretical consideration, empirical findings since 1972 and in vitro results had suggested that a combination of antibiotics for treatment of sepsis is more effective if the 2 or 3 antibiotics are not applied simultaneously but individually and sequentially at short intervals of 4 hours. Between January 1986 and March 1990 100 children were treated with spaced administration of antibiotic combinations at the University Hospital Innsbruck (Department of Paediatric). Causative agents isolated compared well to data published for other institutions; staphylococci were the dominating species. Anaerobic bacteria and fungi accounted for only 1% each, 60% of the cases were nosocomial infections. Overall, the fatality was 4%, a result significantly below the values reported in the literature for conventional therapeutic regimens.