Objective: This study aimed to assess the outcomes including morbidity and mortality of carbapenem-resistant gram-negative (CRGN) infections in pediatric critical care setting. The second aim was to investigate the impact of aminoglycosides on colistin-containing regimen in CRGN-infected pediatric critical care patients.
Materials and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated medical records of 82 patients who had received colistin in combination with an aminoglycoside (CA group) or another antibiotic (CO group) at two reference pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) between February 2011 and February 2016.
Results: We enrolled 82 CRGN-infected patients who were admitted to PICUs of two hospitals. The median age of the patients was 24 (25th–75th percentile; 8–78.75) months, and the median duration of hospital stay was 30 days (25th–75th percentile; 16.7–57.7). No statistical difference was observed in the variables, including microbiological response, attributable mortality, crude mortality, and the duration of achieving first negative culture (p>0.05). Clinical response was significantly more observed in the CA group (85.5% vs. 63.2; p=0.048), and attributable mortality was higher in the CO group (12.7% vs. 31.6%; p=0.055). Nephrotoxicity did not show statistical difference between groups (p=0.357), and neurotoxicity was not observed.
Conclusion: Colistin-containing regimen in combination with an aminoglycoside may be an effective and safe antimicrobial agent without a significant increase in side effects.