Antifungal Prophylaxis in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Abstract

Invasive fungal infections in children have shown a dramatic increase over the last two decades. Their importance and clinical implications are more prominent in selected groups of patients such as critically ill children in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). This population constitutes an important target for prophylactic antifungal interventions. While antifungal agents have been studied in various clinical settings, knowledge in this particular setting is rather scant. The current data suggest that antifungal prophylaxis in the PICU setting should be tailored to the needs of each patient guided by the individual’s risk factors and local epidemiology.