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Empiric Antibiotics for NEC

bimalc
in Infectious Diseases

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What are folks using as empiric antibiotics for NEC in your local units?

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    We also use ampicillin and gentamicin and add metronidazole  in case of perforation. We very rarely have positive blood cultures at the onset of NEC so we usually stick with this regimen. But it can be difficult to resist the temptation of broadening spectrum in patients that deteriorate.

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    In Aarhus (as tweeted) Ampi/Cefuroxim, gentamycin and metronidazole 😊. We are considering a switch to meropenem though. What are your experience with this Stefan ?

    Ampicillin, Gentamicin. Couple of surgeons also want babies started on Clindamicin in severe NEC.

    We usually use Ampicillin and Gentamicin. If perforation then add flagyl. If patient detoriates then switch to meropenem.

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    Tazocin & Amikacin/Gentamicin. In case of perforation add Flagyl. If baby is in impending shock relplace Tazocin with Meropenem.

     

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    On 6/15/2018 at 3:05 PM, Padkaer said:

    In Aarhus (as tweeted) Ampi/Cefuroxim, gentamycin and metronidazole 😊. We are considering a switch to meropenem though. What are your experience with this Stefan ?

    I don't know if/how things have improved after the change. And since I left Karolinska a few years ago (for "the other hospital" :) ) I don't know the exact rationale. Will lunch with @Alexander Rakow tomorrow, will ask him for details.

    OT and IMHO: But despite using almost only breast milk (donated or expressed) for very preterm infants, NEC is a reality around here :(  A fact that is the driving force for the academic startup Neobiomics I started with a few EU-based colleagues.

    From the above , I like  the idea of Dr johansson about giving only one antibiotic instead of keeping with 3 to 4 antibiotics; can we discuss using meropenem only for NEC? 

    Do we have infectious disease neonatologists in the team? I always feel like keeping meropenem for the next step , but using 4 antibiotics is not the best option even if most of us are doing so . What do you think?

    Although it seems more simple with one antibiotic, it may not be the best strategy, for reasons related to resistance development.

    Carbapenems (like meropenem) are typically used as the treatment option when other antibiotics fails due to (known or assumed) resistance. So, depending on the bacteriological context, it may or may not be a reasonable 1st-line choice. And carbapenem resistance is worrysome thing for health care beyond the NICU.

    So, a reasonable bottomline would be along the lines "If it works, don't fix it" :)

     

    Empirically in both NICUs in Japan and Canada ampicillin and aminoglycoside: (Gentamycin in Japan & Tobramycin in Canada).

    • Like 1
    On 6/19/2018 at 9:54 AM, M C Fadous Khalife said:

    From the above , I like  the idea of Dr johansson about giving only one antibiotic instead of keeping with 3 to 4 antibiotics; can we discuss using meropenem only for NEC? 

    Do we have infectious disease neonatologists in the team? I always feel like keeping meropenem for the next step , but using 4 antibiotics is not the best option even if most of us are doing so . What do you think?

    Our microbiologist does not suggest monotherapy in neonates. Possibility of resistance. Also, aminoglycosides have synergisitic action with meropenem. 

    We use meropenem + vancomycin + metronidazol (our microbiologist would be happy with meropenem only), for two to three weeks depending on bell stage or on clinical improvement or on 'gut feeling'.

    How long do you treat for and for how long do you keep them NPO?

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    On 7/2/2018 at 12:34 PM, wodi said:

    How long do you treat for and for how long do you keep them NPO?

    2 weeks

    • 5 weeks later...

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