Pediatric Pneumonia — Diagnostic and Therapeutic Stewardship

A randomized, multicentered trial in the United Kingdom and Ireland showed children receiving amoxicillin for community-acquired pneumonia perform similarly well with lower dose (35-50 mg/kg/day vs. 75-90 mg/kg/day) and shorter duration (three vs. seven days) treatments.

Using Procalcitonin to Limit Antibiotic Treatment for Sepsis Reduces Infection-Related Adverse Events

By shortening the duration of antibiotic therapy, a procalcitonin-guided protocol decreased the rate of infection-associated adverse effects, decreased costs, and reduced mortality in patient with sepsis.

Childhood Diseases Associated with Antibiotic Exposure During Infancy

A population-based cohort study showed that exposure to antibiotics during the first two years of life is associated with increased rates of subsequently developing asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, celiac disease, and obesity.

Virtual Visits and Antibiotic Prescribing

Compared to in-person visits, virtual visits were associated with improved antibiotic prescribing practices for women with uncomplicated urinary tract infections.

Evaluation and Treatment of Severe Community-Acquired Pneumonia in the ICU

Community-acquired pneumonia is a common cause for hospital admission. This article serves to summarize new updates in the definition, prognosis, and treatment, specifically of bacterial, severe community-acquired pneumonia.

Contact Isolation Is Not Better than Standard Precautions for Decreasing Acquisition of ESBL-Producing Enterobacterales

In a multicenter, cluster-randomized crossover trial, researchers compared standard precautions vs. contact isolation for preventing acquisition of ESBL-producing Enterobacterales (ESBL-E) in non-intensive care unit settings. Contact isolation did not decrease the number of hospital-acquired ESBL-E cases, which questions the value of the practice.

<i>Clostridioides difficile:</i> Risk Factors for Disease

Approximately one-tenth of asymptomatic patients with Clostridioides difficile colonization went on to develop disease. A wide range of antibiotic exposures represent a significant risk.

Inappropriately Broad Empiric Antibiotics Are Associated with Higher Mortality in Community-Onset Sepsis

A retrospective cohort study found that broad-spectrum antibiotics were unnecessarily prescribed to patients with community-onset sepsis and was associated with worse outcomes and higher mortality.

Antibiotic Therapy to Reduce the Incidence of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia After Cardiac Arrest

In this prospective, randomized trial, intravenous amoxicillin-clavulanate (dosed three times daily and given for two days) administered to patients admitted with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest due to a shockable rhythm reduced the incidence of early ventilator-associated pneumonia.

<i>C. difficile</i> Infections Decrease in Hospitals, But Increase in Community

Clostridioides difficile infections are declining in U.S. hospitals, as measures over the last decade to reign in antibiotic use and improve infection control appear to be working.

Articles Tagged With: antibiotic