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Parenteral lincomycin is a safe and effective antibiotic for treating Gram-positive bacterial infections in children. This study found a high cure rate with minimal adverse effects in pediatric patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Clinical Pharmacology
- Antibiotic Therapy
Background:
- Parenteral lincomycin use in pediatric populations is not extensively documented.
- Lincomycin has been widely utilized at the institution for pediatric infections.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the safety and efficacy of parenteral lincomycin in children.
- To assess treatment outcomes for various pediatric infections treated with lincomycin.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective chart review of 265 pediatric patients receiving parenteral lincomycin.
- Analysis of diagnoses, dosages, duration of therapy, administration routes, and adverse events.
Main Results:
- High cure rates observed across all treated conditions, including cellulitis, septic arthritis, osteomyelitis, abscess, lymphadenitis, and pneumonia.
- Common pathogens identified were Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes.
- Parenteral lincomycin demonstrated a favorable safety profile with no administration site reactions and low incidence of diarrhea.
Conclusions:
- Parenteral lincomycin is a safe and effective antibiotic option for pediatric Gram-positive cocci infections.
- The drug is well-tolerated in children, with a low risk of significant adverse events.
Abstract:
Lincomycin use has not been reported exclusively in children and inasmuch as it has been extensively used at our institution, a chart review of 265 patients who received parenteral lincomycin at a dose of 100 mg/kg/day in four divided doses for five days or longer was undertaken. The following conditions were diagnosed: cellulitis, 39%; septic arthritis, 21%; osteomyelitis, 16%; abscess, 13%; lymphadenitis, 9%; and pneumonia, 1%. Cures were achieved in all. The majority of organisms cultured were Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes. Duration of therapy ranged from five to 63 days, with a mean of 15 days. The lincomycin dose ranged from 75 to 2,400 mg every six hours. The majority of patients received the drug intravenously, but 25.7% received it only intramuscularly. There were no adverse reactions at the administration sites. Only 3% of the patients developed diarrhea, which was not felt to be secondary to the drug. There were no cases of pseudomembranous colitis. Therefore parenteral lincomycin in children appears to be a safe and effective antibiotic when used for infections due to Gram-positive cocci.