Antibiotic Use in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Practicing Integrative Medicine-A Retrospective Analysis.

Area of Science:

• Neonatal Medicine
• Integrative Medicine
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Antibiotic use in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) is a significant concern.
• Physicians trained in complementary medicine show lower antibiotic prescribing rates.
• Integrative medicine approaches may influence antibiotic stewardship in neonatal care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) integrating complementary medicine exhibits low antibiotic prescribing rates.
• To compare local and international antibiotic use in the NICU.
• To assess the safety and efficacy of complementary medicinal products in neonates.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 7778 live births from 2014-2017 at a level-2 NICU in Southern Germany.
• Comparison of antibiotic use in neonates with and without suspected infection.
• Documentation of complementary medicinal product usage and adverse events.

Main Results:

• Only 2.26% of live births received antibiotics, with a median duration of 4 days.
• Culture-proven infections were rare (0.77 per 1000 live births).
• Antibiotic use was significantly lower than international benchmarks, with no reported side effects from complementary products.

Conclusions:

• The NICU demonstrated low antibiotic prescribing, supporting the hypothesis that integrative medicine practice is associated with reduced antibiotic use in newborns.
• Complementary medicinal products were utilized broadly and demonstrated a favorable safety profile.
• Further research into integrative strategies for neonatal antibiotic stewardship is warranted.