Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 21, 2026

Hemodynamic Precision in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit using Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography
09:31

Hemodynamic Precision in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit using Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography

Published on: January 27, 2023

1.5K

Application of an antibiotic spectrum index in the neonatal intensive care unit

Alexandra C Lahart1, Christopher C McPherson1, Jeffrey S Gerber2,3

  • 1Division of Newborn Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri.

Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology
|July 30, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Antimicrobial stewardship programs often use days of therapy, which overlooks antibiotic spectrum. This study assessed an antibiotic spectrum index in very-low-birth-weight infants to better evaluate stewardship interventions.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal Medicine
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) are crucial for optimizing antibiotic use.
  • Current metrics like days of therapy (DOT) do not reflect the spectrum of antibiotics used.
  • Broader-spectrum antibiotics may be overused, posing risks like resistance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the utility of an antibiotic spectrum index (ASI).
  • To assess ASI's effectiveness in measuring antimicrobial use in very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants.
  • To determine ASI's impact on evaluating antimicrobial stewardship interventions.

Main Methods:

  • Applied an antibiotic spectrum index to a cohort of VLBW infants.
  • Calculated ASI based on prescribed antimicrobial agents.
  • Compared ASI with traditional metrics like DOT.

Main Results:

  • The ASI provided a more nuanced measure of antimicrobial exposure than DOT.
  • Interventions aimed at narrowing antibiotic spectrum showed a measurable impact via ASI.
  • ASI demonstrated utility in identifying opportunities for stewardship.

Conclusions:

  • The antibiotic spectrum index is a valuable tool for antimicrobial stewardship.
  • ASI enhances the assessment of antimicrobial use in vulnerable populations like VLBW infants.
  • Implementing ASI can lead to more effective stewardship interventions and improved outcomes.

More Related Videos

Clinical Practice Protocol of Creative Music Therapy for Preterm Infants and Their Parents in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit11:50

Clinical Practice Protocol of Creative Music Therapy for Preterm Infants and Their Parents in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Published on: January 7, 2020

27.5K
Monitoring Lung Function with Electrical Impedance Tomography in the Intensive Care Unit05:56

Monitoring Lung Function with Electrical Impedance Tomography in the Intensive Care Unit

Published on: September 6, 2024

6.1K

Related Concept Videos

IR Spectrum Peak Intensity: Amount of IR-Active Bonds00:55

IR Spectrum Peak Intensity: Amount of IR-Active Bonds

When infrared radiation is passed through a molecule, absorption occurs if the molecule's vibration leads to a substantial change in its bond dipole moment. Transitions between vibrational energy levels, typically corresponding to infrared frequencies (4000–400 cm−1), allow absorption if the vibration significantly alters the dipole moment, making the molecule infrared active. The molecular bonds have different stretching and bending vibrations, resulting in various peaks with...
1.0K
IR Spectrum Peak Intensity: Dipole Moment01:20

IR Spectrum Peak Intensity: Dipole Moment

The dipole moment of a bond is the product of the partial charge on either atom and the distance between them. Dipole moments influence the efficiency of IR absorption and the peak intensity. When a bond with a dipole moment is placed in an electric field, the direction of the field determines if the bond is compressed or stretched. Electromagnetic radiation consists of an electric field component that rapidly reverses direction. It follows that polar bonds are alternately stretched and...
1.4K
The Electromagnetic Spectrum02:37

The Electromagnetic Spectrum

The electromagnetic spectrum consists of all the types of electromagnetic radiation arranged according to their frequency and wavelength. Each of the various colors of visible light has specific frequencies and wavelengths associated with them, and you can see that visible light makes up only a small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Because the technologies developed to work in various parts of the electromagnetic spectrum are different, for reasons of convenience and historical...
64.8K
The Electromagnetic Spectrum01:24

The Electromagnetic Spectrum

Electromagnetic waves are categorized according to their wavelengths and frequencies, giving the electromagnetic spectrum. These waves are classified as radio, infrared, ultraviolet, etc. Radio waves refer to electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths ranging from millimeters to kilometers. Radio waves are commonly used for audio communications (i.e., radios) and typically result from an alternating current in the wires of a broadcast antenna. They cover a broad wavelength range and are used...
33.3K
Antibiotic Selection00:57

Antibiotic Selection

Overview
59.5K
Measurement: Derived Units03:02

Measurement: Derived Units

The International System of Units or SI system, by international agreement, has fixed measurement units for seven fundamental properties: length, mass, time, temperature, electric current, amount of substance, and luminosity. These are called the SI base units.
54.2K