Download PDF
J Pediatr Infect Dis 2017; 12(03): 171-175
DOI: 10.1055/s-0037-1602828
Review Article
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Antimicrobial Stewardship for Newborns in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Authors

  • Rebecca Schein

    1   Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics and Human Development, Michigan State University, College of Human Medicine, East Lansing, Michigan, United States

  • B. Keith English

    1   Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics and Human Development, Michigan State University, College of Human Medicine, East Lansing, Michigan, United States
Further Information

Publication History

08 December 2016

26 December 2016

Publication Date:
17 May 2017 (online)

Also available at
  Permissions and Reprints

Abstract

Overuse of antibiotics causing antibiotic resistance, an increase in Clostridium difficile infections, and increased adverse drug reactions is a growing problem. To combat this growing threat, the Centers for Disease Control started a program to improve the appropriate use of antimicrobials that focuses on antimicrobial stewardship. In the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) medically fragile infants are commonly exposed to antibiotics resulting in a growing interest in applying antimicrobial stewardship principles in this patient population. The lack of treatment guidelines and the relatively narrow spectrum of individual antibiotics used to make the NICU a unique environment requiring a specialized approach to antimicrobial stewardship. This article examines the current antibiotic treatment data for common NICU illnesses including early and late-onset sepsis, pneumonia, and necrotizing enterocolitis, then reviews current recommendations for antimicrobial stewardship.

Keywords

neonates - neonatal infection - antimicrobial stewardship