A 200-institution survey, the results of which appear in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, has identified major national trends in pediatric antibiotic resistant pathogens, collecting the information centrally for the first time.
Researchers compiled antibiograms from individual institutions to create a summary of pediatric antibiotic resistance for common microorganisms nationwide:
- Half of Staphylococcus aureus cultures were methicillin-resistant and 21 percent were clindamycin-resistant. Hospitals in the western part of the U.S. had the lowest occurrence of MRSA.
- Enterococcus cultures showed 45 percent resistance to vancomycin, 25 percent resistance to ampicillin and 8 percent resistance to linezolid. Southern hospitals had the lowest antibiotic-resistance among Enterococcus strains.
- Carbapenems were the most effective overall class of antibiotics against gram-negative bacteria.
The study comes in the wake of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's first-ever report on the state of antibiotic resistance.
More Articles on Quality:
Patient Safety Tool: Memory and Dementia Brochure
10 Barriers to Medication Adherence
Can the EHR Be a Readmissions Tool?