Antibiotic Stewardship

Shorter Course of Antibiotics for Early Onset Sepsis as Safe as Longer Course
Shorter Course of Antibiotics for Early Onset Sepsis as Safe as Longer Course 150 150 Jessica Nye, PhD

Discontinuing empirical antibiotic therapy for early-onset sepsis (EOS) at 24 hours had a similar safety profile as the standard 48-hour treatment course. “In the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), we have data to show that each additional day of unnecessary antibiotics leads to adverse side effects, both short term while in the NICU and some…

Is There a Role for D-Mannose, Cranberry or Probiotics in Preventing Pediatric UTIs?
Is There a Role for D-Mannose, Cranberry or Probiotics in Preventing Pediatric UTIs? 1024 683 Deborah L. Ungerleider, MD, FAAP

Alternatives for prophylaxis of UTIs in children may help reduce antibiotic overuse. Preventing urinary tract infections (UTIs) in children is important, as multiple UTIs can lead to scarring of the kidneys, which can then lead to hypertension or end-stage renal disease.1 UTIs in children are generally treated with antibiotics, which are sometimes also used for…

Nafcillin is a Safe Alternative to Vancomycin for Empirical Treatment of Late-Onset Sepsis Among Infants in the NICU
Nafcillin is a Safe Alternative to Vancomycin for Empirical Treatment of Late-Onset Sepsis Among Infants in the NICU 1024 681 Mary Bates, PhD
sleeping infant

Guidelines to reduce vancomycin use at three Ohio NICUs did not impact mortality rate. In 2014, the Neonatal Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at Nationwide Children’s Hospital recommended nafcillin rather than vancomycin for empirical therapy of possible late-onset sepsis in infants without a history of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection or colonization. In a new study, researchers…

Featured Researcher — Steve Goodman, PhD
Featured Researcher — Steve Goodman, PhD 150 150 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES

Steven D. Goodman, PhD, is a principal investigator in the Center for Microbial Pathogenesis in the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. His research centers on bacterial biofilms — interactive ecosystems of bacteria that form a structure to help the bacteria thrive and fight off threats. These biofilms can be found wherever bacteria…

Biofilm Bacteria Protected by a Form of DNA Resistant to Current Treatments
Biofilm Bacteria Protected by a Form of DNA Resistant to Current Treatments 150 150 Lauren Bakaletz, PhD and Steve Goodman, PhD

Researchers from Nationwide Children’s Hospital identify a structural component of the bacterial biofilm matrix in a novel discovery published in Cell that has strong implications as to how biofilms resist current treatments and how to create new therapeutics that will be effective.   Biofilms are communities of bacteria that are protected by an extracellular matrix…

Global Study Highlights Antibiotic Overuse in the NICU
Global Study Highlights Antibiotic Overuse in the NICU 1024 683 Abbie Miller
Baby in NICU

Antimicrobial stewardship programs were associated with lower antibiotic use, regardless of the country’s income level. Excessive antibiotic use among infants born preterm in the newborn intensive care unit (NICU) is associated with poor patient outcomes, such as sepsis, necrotizing enterocolitis, bronchopulmonary dysplasia and others, and contributes to the emergence of multi-drug resistant microbes. A new…

Weaving an Antimicrobial Safety Net
Weaving an Antimicrobial Safety Net 150 150 Kevin Mayhood

Stewards thread together monitoring programs and new protocols while trimming unwarranted tests and diagnostic speed. This story also appeared in the Spring/Summer 2018 print issue. Download a PDF of the print issue. Studies estimate that 30 to 50 percent of antimicrobials prescribed in hospitals and up to 50 percent prescribed in outpatient settings are either unnecessary…

How to Reduce Unnecessary Antibiotic Use for UTI in Urgent Cares
How to Reduce Unnecessary Antibiotic Use for UTI in Urgent Cares 150 150 Jeb Phillips

A quality improvement project shows children with negative urine cultures take antibiotics they don’t need. Even before a urine culture confirms the diagnosis, urgent care physicians often prescribe antibiotics when children present with symptoms of urinary tract infection (UTI). Early treatment is important for relief of symptoms and prevention of complications. But what if the…

The High Cost of Antibiotic Redundancy
The High Cost of Antibiotic Redundancy 150 150 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES

As many as 78 percent of non-federal U.S. hospitals frequently prescribe redundant antibiotics, according to a study appearing in the journal Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. Over a four-year period, these hospitals accounted for 32,507 cases of antibiotic regimens with overlapping antimicrobial spectra, resulting in more than $12 million in avoidable health care expenses. There are very few clinical…