Antibiotic spectrum index: A new tool comparing antibiotic use in three NICUs.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Antibiotics are widely used in very low-birth-weight infants (VLBW, <1500 g), and excess exposure, particularly to broad-spectrum antibiotics, is associated with significant morbidity. An antibiotic spectrum index (ASI) quantifies antibiotic exposure by relative antimicrobial activity, adding information to exposure measured by days of therapy (DOT). We compared ASI and DOT across multiple centers to evaluate differences in antibiotic exposures.

Methods

We extracted data from patients admitted to 3 level-4 NICUs for 2 years at 2 sites and for 1 year at a third site. We calculated the ASI per antibiotic days and DOT per patient days for all admitted VLBW infants <32 weeks gestational age. Clinical variables were compared as percentages or as days per 1,000 patient

SUBMITTER: Sullivan BA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9124723 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature