A descriptive study of vancomycin use at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, Cape Town

Background Antimicrobial stewardship principles guide the clinical use of antimicrobials, including vancomycin, but paediatric vancomycin prescribing practices have not been evaluated in South Africa. Objectives To document the use, prescribing practices and monitoring of intravenous vancomycin and the spectrum of bacteria isolated on microbiological culture in children treated with intravenous vancomycin during a 12-month period at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital (RCWMCH). Method A retrospective audit of intravenous vancomycin use in children admitted to RCWMCH during 2019 was performed. Results All 158 vancomycin prescription episodes for 143 children were included. Overall usage of intravenous vancomycin was 63 days of therapy per 1000 patient days (interquartile range [IQR]: 38–72). The median starting dose was 15 mg/kg per dose (IQR: 14–15) and median daily dose was 45 mg/kg per day (IQR: 43–60). Vancomycin was prescribed as empiric (127/158, 80%) and directed (31/158, 20%) treatment. The median duration of treatment for the directed group (7 days) was longer than the empiric group (4 days) (p = 0.001). Vancomycin serum trough concentrations were performed in 65/98 (66%) episodes where vancomycin treatment exceeded 3 days, with only 16/65 (25%) of these samples obtained before the fourth dose. Prolonged antibiotic treatment of 14 days or more was not associated with Gram-positive bacteria on culture (odds ratio [OR]: 1.02, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.17–4.2). Conclusion Dosing errors, prolonged empiric treatment and inappropriate vancomycin monitoring were problems associated with vancomycin prescriptions. Contribution The study identified multiple opportunities for improved vancomycin prescribing and monitoring. Further research and implementation of improved prescribing practices could contribute to the preservation of vancomycin as an effective antibiotic.