Antimicrobial drug utilization pattern in neonatal sepsis in a tertiary care hospital

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine antimicrobial drug use in newborns at a tertiary care neonatal intensive care unit, to identify educational/research priorities in neonatal drug therapy. Materials and Methods: This prospective observational study included 713 patients of neonatal sepsis over a period of 18 months. Data like name, age, sex, birth weight, gestational age, antibiotics used were recorded in the previously prepared case record form. Results: Number of patients admitted in early neonatal period was 467(65.5%) and number of patients admitted in late neonatal period was 246(34.5%). The mean age of all patients being admitted in NICU was 6.23 ± 5.86 days. The majority of neonates (92.56%) were prescribed 2 to 5 antibiotics and 29.59% of neonates were prescribed 2 antibiotics. Average number of antibiotics of all patients being admitted was 3.74 ± 1.38. Most frequently used antibiotics in decreasing frequency were: Amikacin (97.19%), ampicillin + sulbactam (60.17%), vancomycin (57.64%), ceftazidime (38.71%), cefotaxime (34.22%), ciprofloxacin (26.23%), piperacillin + tazobactam (19.07%). 73% drugs were given by generic name and 53.33% drugs were prescribed from the essential drug list. Mean length of stay in NICU of all patients being admitted was 7.59 ± 5.66 days. Conclusion: The present study provides valuable insight about the overall pattern of antimicrobial drug use profile in patients of neonatal sepsis of a tertiary care hospital. It is intended to be a step in broader evaluation of safety and efficacy of drug prescription in neonatal sepsis patients.