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Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
19:15

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Published on: August 25, 2014

Recent patterns of drug use in newborn intensive care

S M Lesko1, M F Epstein, A A Mitchell

  • 1Slone Epidemiology Unit, School of Public Health, Boston University School of Medicine, MA 02146.

The Journal of Pediatrics
|June 1, 1990
PubMed

Insights

Neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) frequently use medications, with 91% of infants receiving drugs. Premature infants and those with complex conditions received more medications, highlighting the dynamic nature of drug therapy in NICUs.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal pharmacology
  • Pediatric intensive care
  • Clinical pharmacy

Background:

  • Medication use in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) is common but not fully characterized.
  • Understanding drug exposure patterns is crucial for optimizing neonatal care and resource allocation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze medication use trends in NICUs over a nine-year period.
  • To identify factors influencing drug administration in neonatal intensive care.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective data collection from two large teaching hospital NICUs over nine years.
  • Analysis of medication exposure in 2690 infants, correlating drug use with birth weight, length of stay, and clinical condition complexity.

Main Results:

  • 91% of infants received at least one drug; 99% of low birth weight infants (<1500 gm) were exposed.
  • Median of eight drugs per treated infant; drug number inversely related to birth weight and directly to hospital stay and condition complexity.
  • Gentamicin, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, heparin, and packed erythrocytes were most common; significant shifts in use for certain drugs observed between 1978-1979 and 1985-1986.

Conclusions:

  • Drug therapy in NICUs is dynamic and highly prevalent, especially in premature and critically ill neonates.
  • Medication administration patterns are influenced by infant characteristics and clinical course.
  • These findings provide essential data for cost-benefit analyses and therapeutic guideline development in neonatal intensive care.

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