PediatricCriteria & Principles
Please see the attached for empiric antimicrobial guidance for select pediatric infections.
Empiric antimicrobial recommendations are provided as a general guideline for therapy with a goal of assisting agent selection based on the most common pathogens and local resistance patterns while minimizing unintended consequences for the patient. These recommendations do not establish a standard of care to be followed in every case and are to be used for immunocompetent patients admitted to the pediatric floor or pediatric intensive care unit. Guidance for treatment of neonatal infections can be found here.
- Patient specific factors should influence selection decisions.
- Each case is different and the individuals providing health care are expected to use their judgement in determining what is in the best interests of the patient based on the circumstances at the time.
- Pediatric infectious diseases consult should be considered in complicated or unusual cases.
- Cultures should be obtained from the appropriate sources prior to initiation of antimicrobial therapy, EXCEPT when this will cause a delay in treatment that will harm the patient.
- Previous culture results and the patient’s antimicrobial history should be reviewed prior to initiation of therapy. Culture and other laboratory test results should be used to guide definitive therapy.
- Always consider antimicrobials may NOT be necessary or medication selections may need to be modified, depending on the medical situations.
Treatment
Duration
Durations listed are based on the literature cited or has been agreed upon by the pediatric ID division. Some durations of therapies have large variability and are too dependent on clinical course to be specific. Doses provided assume normal renal and hepatic function. Some may require renal or hepatic dose adjustments.