Article Text
Abstract
Background Antibiotic resistance is a worldwide problem. We describe 25 years of responsible antibiotic use in a tertiary neonatal unit.
Methods Data on neonatal infections and antibiotic use were collected prospectively from 1990 to 2014 at a single tertiary Sydney neonatal intensive care unit attached to a maternity unit. There are approximately 5500 deliveries and 900 nursery admissions per year.
Results The mean annual rate of late-onset sepsis was 1.64 episodes per 100 admissions. The mean number of late-onset sepsis episodes per admission to the neonatal unit decreased by 4.0% per year (95% CI 2.6% to 5.4%; p<0.0001) and occurred particularly in infants born weighing <1500 g. No infants with negative cultures relapsed with sepsis when antibiotics were stopped after 48–72 hours. Antibiotic use decreased with time. The proportion of colonising methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates decreased by 7.4% per year (95% CI 0.2% to 14.1%; p=0.043). The proportion of colonising Gram-negative bacilli isolates resistant to either third-generation cephalosporins or gentamicin increased by 2.9% per year (95% CI 1.0% to 4.9%; p=0.0035). Most were cephalosporin-resistant; gentamicin resistance was rare. An average of one baby per year died from late-onset sepsis, the rate not varying significantly over time. The mortality from episodes of late-onset sepsis was 25 of 332 (7.5%).
Conclusion Stopping antibiotics after 2–3 days if neonatal systemic cultures are negative is safe. However, it does not prevent the emergence of cephalosporin-resistant Gram-negative organisms.
- Antibiotic stewardship
- Nosocomial infection
- MRSA
- Antibiotic resistance
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Footnotes
Contributors DCcollected, collated and analysed the data, performed the initial analyses and drafted the initial manuscript. EHBperformed all the statistical analyses. AGconceived the study with DI. DIconceived the study and collected the data over 25 years. All authors contributed to and approved the final manuscript as submitted.
Competing interests None declared.
Ethics approval Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children ethics committee (approval number 93060).
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.