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Antimicrobial consumption in three pediatric and neonatal intensive care units in Saudi Arabia: 33-month surveillance

Hanan H Balkhy1,2,3, Aiman El-Saed4,5,6, Ali AlShehri7

  • 1King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. balkhyh@hotmail.com.

Annals of Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobials
|July 5, 2019
PubMed

Insights

This study tracked antimicrobial use in Saudi Arabian pediatric and neonatal intensive care units (ICUs). Cephalosporins were most common in pediatric ICUs, while aminoglycosides dominated neonatal ICUs, with potentially high local consumption rates.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Infectious Diseases
  • Neonatal Intensive Care
  • Antimicrobial Stewardship
  • Pharmacokinetics

Background:

  • Limited international data exists on pediatric and neonatal antimicrobial consumption.
  • Antimicrobial stewardship programs critically rely on accurate consumption data.
  • This study addresses a data gap in Saudi Arabia's pediatric and neonatal populations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify overall and specific antimicrobial agent consumption.
  • To establish baseline data for antimicrobial stewardship initiatives.
  • To compare consumption patterns between pediatric and neonatal intensive care units.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective surveillance study conducted in pediatric and neonatal intensive care units (ICUs) from October 2012 to June 2015.
  • Manual daily data collection by infection control practitioners.
  • Consumption presented as Days of Therapy (DOT) per 1000 patient-days.

Main Results:

  • Cephalosporins (38.0%) and vancomycin (21.9%) were highest in pediatric ICUs; consumption rates were 265.1 and 152.6 DOTs/1000 patient-days, respectively.
  • Aminoglycosides (45.4%) and cephalosporins (30.4%) were highest in neonatal ICUs; consumption rates were 147.5 and 98.7 DOTs/1000 patient-days, respectively.
  • Local consumption of cephalosporins and carbapenems may exceed international levels.

Conclusions:

  • Cephalosporin use is high in pediatric ICUs; aminoglycoside use is high in neonatal ICUs.
  • Antimicrobial consumption patterns differ significantly between pediatric and neonatal populations.
  • Data supports antimicrobial stewardship efforts to optimize drug usage and combat resistance.
Abstract

Keywords:
AntibioticsChildrenDays of therapyDefined daily doseSaudi Arabia

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