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Kuitunen I, Jääskeläinen J, Korppi M, Renko M. Antibiotic Treatment Duration for Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Outpatient Children in High-Income Countries-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Clin Infect Dis 2022; 76:e1123-e1128. [PMID: 35579504 PMCID: PMC9907524 DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciac374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The optimal treatment duration of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children has been controversial in high-income countries. We conducted a meta-analysis to compare short antibiotic treatment (3-5 days) with longer treatment (7-10 days) among children aged ≥6 months. METHODS On 31 January 2022, we searched PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases for studies published in English from 2003 to 2022. We included randomized controlled trials focusing on antibiotic treatment duration in children with CAP treated as outpatients. We calculated risk differences (RDs) with 95% confidence intervals and used the fixed-effect model (low heterogeneity). Our main outcome was treatment failure, defined as need for retreatment or hospitalization within 1 month. Our secondary outcome was presence of antibiotic-related harms. RESULTS A total of 541 studies were screened, and 4 studies with 1541 children were included in the review. Three studies had low risk of bias, and one had some concerns. All 4 studies assessed treatment failures, and the RD was 0.1% (95% confidence interval, -3.0% to 2.0%) with high quality of evidence. Two studies (1194 children) assessed adverse events related to antibiotic treatment, and the RD was 0.0% (-5.0% to 5.0%) with moderate quality of evidence. The diagnostic criteria varied between the included studies. CONCLUSIONS A short antibiotic treatment duration of 3-5 days was equally effective and safe compared with the longer (current) recommendation of 7-10 days in children aged ≥6 months with CAP. We suggest that short antibiotic courses can be implemented in treatment of pediatric CAP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilari Kuitunen
- Correspondence: I. Kuitunen, Department of Pediatrics, Porrassalmenkatu 35-37, 50100 Mikkeli, Finland ()
| | - Johanna Jääskeläinen
- Institute of Clinical Medicine and Department of Pediatrics, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Matti Korppi
- Centre for Child Health Research, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Tampere and University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
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Good A, Olans R. CE: Pediatric Antibiotic Stewardship. Am J Nurs 2021; 121:38-43. [PMID: 34629375 DOI: 10.1097/01.naj.0000798052.41204.18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT With the rise of antibiotic resistance, antimicrobial stewardship programs can now be found in the ambulatory setting, where nearly 95% of antibiotic prescriptions originate. Judicious use of antibiotics is of particular importance to the ambulatory pediatric provider, as the annual antibiotic prescription rate is highest among children ages two and younger and inappropriate early-life antibiotic use is associated with elevated childhood risk of several medical conditions. While most ambulatory antibiotic stewardship programs have focused on shaping clinician behaviors to prevent unnecessary antibiotic prescribing, duration of antibiotic therapy has been found to be a critical, yet underexamined, facet of antibiotic use. In the past, duration of antibiotic therapy was largely based on convention and expert opinion, with little scientific evidence supporting many of the recommendations. Research suggests that many common pediatric infections such as acute otitis media, community-acquired pneumonia, streptococcal pharyngitis, and urinary tract infections can be effectively and safely treated with reduced courses of antibiotic therapy. In addition to reducing the incidence of antibiotic resistance, a shorter duration of antibiotic therapy may help prevent many adverse effects associated with antibiotic treatment. Current studies on the duration of antibiotic therapy, especially in pediatrics, are limited as they often rely on data extrapolated from adult studies that fail to consider the effects of age-related growth and development on both pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. Future investigation into this topic is also limited by researchers' reliance on subsidies from pharmaceutical companies; clinicians' fear of undertreating infection; and hesitancy to deviate from current standards of care, even when such standards are not evidence based. Despite these challenges, the dangers of inappropriate antibiotic use in the pediatric population warrant further evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Good
- Amanda Good is a certified pediatric NP and a family medicine nurse at Charles River Community Health, Boston. Rita Olans is an associate professor at the MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston. Contact author: Amanda Good, . The authors and planners have disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise. A podcast with the authors is available at www.ajnonline.com
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Chang AB, Fong SM, Yeo TW, Ware RS, McCallum GB, Nathan AM, Ooi MH, de Bruyne J, Byrnes CA, Lee B, Nachiappan N, Saari N, Torzillo P, Smith-Vaughan H, Morris PS, Upham JW, Grimwood K. HOspitalised Pneumonia Extended (HOPE) Study to reduce the long-term effects of childhood pneumonia: protocol for a multicentre, double-blind, parallel, superiority randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open 2019; 9:e026411. [PMID: 31023759 PMCID: PMC6502017 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-026411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2018] [Revised: 12/06/2018] [Accepted: 01/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Early childhood pneumonia is a common problem globally with long-term complications that include bronchiectasis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It is biologically plausible that these long-term effects may be minimised in young children at increased risk of such sequelae if any residual lower airway infection and inflammation in their developing lungs can be treated successfully by longer antibiotic courses. In contrast, shortened antibiotic treatments are being promoted because of concerns over inducing antimicrobial resistance. Nevertheless, the optimal treatment duration remains unknown. Outcomes from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on paediatric pneumonia have focused on short-term (usually <2 weeks) results. Indeed, no long-term RCT-generated outcome data are available currently. We hypothesise that a longer antibiotic course, compared with the standard treatment course, reduces the risk of chronic respiratory symptoms/signs or bronchiectasis 24 months after the original pneumonia episode. METHODS AND ANALYSIS This multicentre, parallel, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomised trial involving seven hospitals in six cities from three different countries commenced in May 2016. Three-hundred-and-fourteen eligible Australian Indigenous, New Zealand Māori/Pacific and Malaysian children (aged 0.25 to 5 years) hospitalised for community-acquired, chest X-ray (CXR)-proven pneumonia are being recruited. Following intravenous antibiotics and 3 days of amoxicillin-clavulanate, they are randomised (stratified by site and age group, allocation-concealed) to receive either: (i) amoxicillin-clavulanate (80 mg/kg/day (maximum 980 mg of amoxicillin) in two-divided doses or (ii) placebo (equal volume and dosing frequency) for 8 days. Clinical data, nasopharyngeal swab, bloods and CXR are collected. The primary outcome is the proportion of children without chronic respiratory symptom/signs of bronchiectasis at 24 months. The main secondary outcomes are 'clinical cure' at 4 weeks, time-to-next respiratory-related hospitalisation and antibiotic resistance of nasopharyngeal respiratory bacteria. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION The Human Research Ethics Committees of all the recruiting institutions (Darwin: Northern Territory Department of Health and Menzies School of Health Research; Auckland: Starship Children's and KidsFirst Hospitals; East Malaysia: Likas Hospital and Sarawak General Hospital; Kuala Lumpur: University of Malaya Research Ethics Committee; and Klang: Malaysian Department of Health) have approved the research protocol version 7 (13 August 2018). The RCT and other results will be submitted for publication. TRIAL REGISTRATION ACTRN12616000046404.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne B Chang
- Child Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin Univ, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
- Qld Children's Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | | | - Tsin Wen Yeo
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
| | - Robert S Ware
- School of Population Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Gabrielle B McCallum
- Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
| | | | - Mong H Ooi
- Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Kuching, Malaysia
| | | | | | - Bilawara Lee
- Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
| | | | | | - Paul Torzillo
- Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Heidi Smith-Vaughan
- Child Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
| | - Peter S Morris
- Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
| | - John W Upham
- School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Keith Grimwood
- Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Southport, Queensland, Australia
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Grimwood K, Fong SM, Ooi MH, Nathan AM, Chang AB. Antibiotics in childhood pneumonia: how long is long enough? Pneumonia (Nathan) 2016; 8:6. [PMID: 28702286 PMCID: PMC5469190 DOI: 10.1186/s41479-016-0006-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2016] [Accepted: 01/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Improved access to healthcare, vaccines and treatment with antibiotics has reduced global mortality from childhood community-acquired pneumonia. However, as respiratory viruses are responsible for most episodes of pneumonia, important questions remain over who should receive these agents and the length of each treatment course. Worldwide concerns with increasing antibiotic resistance in respiratory pathogens and appeals for more prudent antibiotic prescribing provide further urgency to these clinical questions. Unfortunately, guidelines for treatment duration in particular are based upon limited (and often weak) evidence, resulting in national and international guidelines recommending treatment courses for uncomplicated pneumonia ranging from 3 to 10 days. The advantages of short-course therapy include a lower risk of developing antibiotic resistance, improved adherence, fewer adverse drug effects, and reduced costs. The risks include treatment failure, leading to increased short- or long-term morbidity, or even death. The initial challenge is how to distinguish between bacterial and non-bacterial causes of pneumonia and then to undertake adequately powered randomised-controlled trials of varying antibiotic treatment durations in children who are most likely to have bacterial pneumonia. Meanwhile, healthcare workers should recognise the limitations of current pneumonia treatment guidelines and remember that antibiotic course duration is also determined by the child's response to therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keith Grimwood
- Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University and Gold Coast Health, Gold Coast, Queensland 4222 Australia
| | - Siew M. Fong
- Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Pediatric Department, Hospital Likas, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah Malaysia
| | - Mong H. Ooi
- Department of Pediatrics, Sarawak General Hospital, Sarawak, Malaysia and Institute of Health and Community Medicine, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Sarawak, Malaysia
| | - Anna M. Nathan
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Anne B. Chang
- Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory Australia
- Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Lady Cilento Hospital and Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland Australia
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