OBJECTIVESThis study aims to determine the prevalence and factors associated with unrounded doses ordered via a computerized prescriber order entry (CPOE) system among children during a 1-week reference period.METHODS This retrospective, cross-sectional study included children younger than 18 years admitted during a 7-day period. An unrounded dose was defined as an unrounded actual dose (eg, dose calculated to the tenths place for non-neonatal intensive care (non-NICU) patients and dose calculated to the hundredth place for NICU patients) or unrounded volume per dose [eg, <0.1 mL for non-NICU patients and <0.01 mL for NICU patients]. A multilevel logistic regression model was used to determine the prevalence and factors associated with unrounded doses via a CPOE system with adjustment for clustering effects. RESULTSA total of 395 patients were admitted with 391 receiving medications. The overall prevalence of unrounded doses was 30% among the 2426 doses administered. Patients on the NICU team had the highest prevalence of unrounded doses. The odds of an unrounded dose were 4% (adjusted odds ratio, 0.96; 95% confidence interval, 0.94-0.98) lower with each additional kilogram increase in weight after controlling for age, route, scheduled versus as-needed administration, and cluster effects.CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of unrounded doses was higher than in previous studies. It was higher in smaller children after controlling for age, medication-related variables, and clustering. Future studies should focus on the role of CPOE in preventing unrounded and unmeasurable doses and if these strategies affect clinical outcomes (eg, adverse drug events).

Tolerance is a complication of fentanyl continuous infusions (CINs) in critically ill children, but the incidence and time of onset are lacking. The primary objective was to identify the incidence of tolerance. Secondary objectives were to determine the onset time and compare risk factors between children with tolerance versus no tolerance and between children with early (< 24 hours) versus late tolerance. Children aged 0 to 17 years, receiving fentanyl CIN?>?3 days from May 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013 were included. Tolerance was defined as a doubling of the fentanyl CIN dose. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed. A logistic regression model was used to assess the relationship between the development of tolerance and independent variables. A total of 59 CINs were included. Tolerance occurred in 46 CINs (78%), with median time to tolerance of 26 hours (range: 1?160 hours). Early tolerance was identified in 21 CINs (45.7%). Patients with tolerance had higher peak CIN doses (p?

Recent reports have described increased risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) in adults receiving concomitant vancomycin and piperacillin/tazobactam, but few reports exist in children. We describe an 8-year-old girl who was admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit with respiratory distress secondary to pneumonia. She began treatment with vancomycin and piperacillin/tazobactam. She developed AKI, and piperacillin/ tazobactam and vancomycin were discontinued. Following a furosemide infusion, her AKI resolved and serum creatinine returned to baseline. She later resumed piperacillin/tazobactam monotherapy for multidrugresistant tracheitis with no evidence of AKI and was eventually discharged to a long-term care facility. The Naranjo probability scale supports a probable drug-related adverse event. Clinicians must be aware of the possibility of AKI with this combination and should monitor renal function and vancomycin concentrations vigilantly. Future prospective studies are needed to explore the incidence and clinical characteristics associated with AKI after this combination in children.

These data indicate that patients experienced improved analgesia for at least 12 hours following IT morphine. Increased use of adjuvant analgesics such as acetaminophen may reduce opioid requirements following PSF procedures. More studies are needed to investigate the combination of adjuvants and IT morphine to reduce postoperative pain in this population.

Background: Methadone and morphine are commonly used to treat neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Limited data exist to describe the most appropriate initial doses and taper regimens of these agents. Objectives: Describe the median initial dose and frequency of methadone and morphine for NAS. Compare dose adjustments, time to symptom relief, and taper complexity between groups. Methods: Retrospective study of neonates receiving enteral methadone or morphine for NAS over a 4-year period. Data collection included medication regimen, abstinence scores based on the Modified Finnegan Neonatal Abstinence Scoring Tool, and adverse events. Planned home taper complexity was assessed using the Medication Taper Complexity Score-Revised (MTCS-R). The primary outcome was initial opioid dose. Secondary outcomes included number of dose adjustments, time to symptom relief, and MTCS-R score. Results: Fifty neonates were initially treated for NAS with methadone (n = 36) or morphine (n = 14). The median initial dose was 0.09 mg/kg (range = 0.03-0.2) for methadone and 0.04 mg/kg (range = 0.03-0.4) for morphine. The most common initial dosing interval was q8h for methadone versus q3h for morphine. Number of dose adjustments and time to symptom relief were similar between groups. Median MTCS-R scores were similar between groups. There was no difference in adverse events between groups. Limitations included small sample size, preference toward methadone use, and variability of initial opioid dosing and titration. Conclusions: There was significant variability in initial doses of both agents. Neonates receiving methadone required less frequent dosing than morphine, which may result in easier administration and may allow for safer outpatient administration.

JPHARMTECHNOL.COMHyperphosphatemia can lead to a number of consequences. Acute elevations of phosphate can cause decreased serum calcium concentrations leading to tetany, seizures, and cardiac arrhythmias. Increased calciumphosphate product seen with chronic hyperphosphatemia can cause calcification of the tissues and vasculature. 1 Hyperphosphatemia may be iatrogenic or may occur from the shift of intracellular phosphate to extracellular compartments. Inadequate elimination of phosphate is a consequence of decreased glomerular filtration. 2,3 Several medications have been implicated in causing phosphorus abnormalities; however, hyperphosphatemia associated with clindamycin use has not been reported. Case ReportA 12-year-old, 62-kg Hispanic boy developed hyperphosphatemia while being treated with clindamycin. He had a history of asthma but was otherwise healthy. Ten days prior to his admission to our institution, the child cut his right foot while swimming. He presented to a local emergency department (ED) 3 days after the injury with right eye and right ankle pain. At this time, per the caregiver's report, he was diagnosed with an ear infection and given a prescription for penicillin. Three days later he developed a rash and the penicillin was stopped. He returned to the ED with increasing eye pain, ankle pain, and swelling, as well as altered mental status, Objective: To report a case of hyperphosphatemia associated with administration of intravenous clindamycin phosphate in a child with renal dysfunction.Case Summary: We describe the case of a 12-year-old boy who developed hyperphosphatemia while receiving intravenous clindamycin phosphate. The child had a history of asthma but was otherwise healthy. He was transferred to our facility for management of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia, periorbital cellulitis, osteomyelitis, and necrotizing pneumonia. He received intravenous vancomycin and clindamycin 930 mg administered every 8 hours. Concurrently, he developed acute kidney injury. His baseline phosphorus concentration was within the normal range but increased as high as 11.7 mg/dL while he received clindamycin. Despite receiving oral phosphate binder therapy and a low phosphorus diet, he had little reduction in serum phosphorus values. Intravenous clindamycin was suspected as a potential cause for hyperphosphatemia, and a recommendation was made to switch from intravenous to oral clindamycin solution since it contains a different salt formulation. Given the severity of the child's disseminated infection and questions of whether he could absorb the enteral formulation, the decision was made to continue intravenous clindamycin and he was ultimately transferred to a rehabilitation facility for further care on intravenous clindamycin. Discussion:Excess oral or intravenous intake of phosphorus can result in hyperphosphatemia, as the body's plasma phosphate concentration exceeds the kidney's diminished filtration capacity. In this patient, use of the Naranjo probability scale indicated a possi...

Although leishmaniasis is regarded as a significant health problem in Ecuador by the Ministry of Health, and the incidence has increased over the last years, an official map on the geographic distribution of disease and sand fly vectors or a control strategy do not exist yet. This article reviews the current situation based on published information to improve our knowledge and understand the epidemiological situation of leishmaniasis in Ecuador in order to help future research and to develop a national control strategy. The disease is endemic in most provinces throughout Pacific coastal region, Amazonian lowlands, and some inter-Andean valleys with a total 21,805 cases reported during 1990-2003. Whereas cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is found throughout Ecuador, mucocutaneous leishmaniasis (MCL) appears to be restricted to the Amazon region; one, parasitologically unconfirmed case of visceral form was reported in 1949. Most human infections are caused by Leishmania (Viannia) spp., which is distributed in the subtropical and tropical lowlands; infections due to L. (Leishmania) spp. are found in the Andean highlands and in the Pacific lowlands as well. The proven vectors are Lutzomyia trapidoi and Lu. ayacuchensis. Canis familiaris, Sciurus vulgaris, Potos flavus, and Tamandua tetradactyla have been found infected with Leishmania spp. It is estimated that around 3000-4500 people may be infected every year, and that 3.1 to 4.5 millions people are estimated to be at risk of contracting leishmaniasis.