Is gentamicin safe for newborns?

Gentamicin is routinely used in neonatal intensive care to treat bacterial infection. However, this drug is ototoxic. Hearing loss is more prevalent in infants born before 32 weeks of gestation than in term neonates. However, harmful effects occur in all infants.

Why do we use ampicillin and gentamicin in neonates?

Ampicillin and gentamicin are usually effective against all the bacterial agents causing community-acquired sepsis in neonates as this combination has traditionally been considered to have activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative organisms in the neonatal period (22).

What is a potentially major side effect of giving a newborn IV gentamicin?

Gentamicin Injection (pediatric) can cause serious kidney problems and nerve damage, resulting in permanent hearing loss and balance problems.

How do you administer gentamicin IV?

Gentamicin when given intravenously should be injected directly into a vein or into the drip set tubing over no less than three minutes. If administered by infusion, this should be over no longer than 20 minutes and in no greater volume of fluid than 100ml.

How is gentamicin administered to newborns?

In infants, a single dose of 2.5 mg/kg usually provides a peak serum level in the range of 3 to 5 mcg/mL. When gentamicin (gentamicin injection pediatric) is administered by intravenous infusion over a two-hour period, the serum concentrations are similar to those obtained by intramuscular administration.

What is the drug of choice for neonatal sepsis?

The antibiotics commonly used to treat neonatal sepsis include ampicillin, gentamicin, cefotaxime, vancomycin, erythromycin, and piperacillin.

What is the drug of choice for the treatment of neonatal sepsis?

The most commonly recommended and used first-line treatment for both early and late onset neonatal sepsis is a beta-lactam antibiotic (most commonly ampicillin, flucloxacillin and penicillin) combined with an aminoglycoside (most commonly gentamicin) [21, 31, 48, 51, 54,55,56,57].

Can gentamicin cause hearing loss in babies?

Due to an identified genetic predisposition some babies can develop irreversible hearing loss when exposed to gentamicin, an antibiotic used to treat several types of bacterial infections. Approximately 90,000 babies per year in the UK are treated with gentamicin on intensive care units.

How do you dilute gentamicin for neonates?

Withdraw 2 mL of 40 mg/mL solution and dilute with 6 mL of sodium chloride 0.9% to make a solution of 10 mg/mL. Babies < 1200 g: Withdraw required dose from the 10 mg/mL solution and add to 0.5 mL of sodium chloride 0.9% in a 3 mL syringe.

Why should gentamicin be given slowly?

If gentamicin is administered during or immediately after surgery, the neuromuscular blockade may be enhanced and prolonged if non-depolarising muscle relaxants are used. These interactions may cause neuromuscular blockage and respiratory paralysis.

Can Gentamicin cause hearing loss in babies?

What is Gentamicin side effects?

Side Effects

• Abdominal or stomach cramps or pain.
• agitation.
• back pain.
• black, tarry stools.
• blood in the urine.
• blurred or double vision.
• burning, numbness, tingling, or painful sensations.
• change in frequency of urination or amount of urine.

What is gentamicin used for in pediatrics?

Gentamicin (gentamicin injection pediatric) Injection is indicated in the treatment of serious infections caused by susceptible strains of the following microorganisms: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus species (indole-positive and indole-negative), Escherichia coli, Klebsiella-Enterobacter-Serratia species, Citrobacter …

How is sepsis treated in newborns?

How is sepsis in newborns treated?

1. Intravenous (IV, directly into a vein) fluids.
2. IV antibiotics.
3. Medications for fever (rarely used in newborns)
4. Extra oxygen and other forms of respiratory support, if needed.

Which antibiotics is considered safe to use in neonates?

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends paren- teral antibiotic therapy (eg, benzylpenicillin or ampicillin plus an aminoglycoside such as gentamicin) in a health facility as the standard treatment for serious neonatal infections (ie, septicemia, pneumonia, and meningitis) in developing countries.

Which antibiotic is considered safe to use in neonates?

What are the signs of sepsis in a newborn?

In newborns, sepsis can cause swelling throughout the body and possible organ failure….Symptoms of infections in newborns include:

• Not feeding well.
• Being very sleepy.
• Being very irritable.
• Rapid breathing or breathing pauses (apnea)
• Vomiting or diarrhea.
• Fever (temperature over 100.4 degrees F or over 38.1 degrees C)

How common is hearing loss with gentamicin?

Reported hearing loss from gentamicin-induced cochleotoxicity ranges from 0% to 27%; however, these findings should be considered with caution because of difficulties with defining the criteria for ototoxicity and variability in audiological measurement across studies.

How much gentamicin is safe for newborns?

Faura et al. 7 divided the newborns they studied into four groups: gestational age ≥37 weeks, gestational age <37 weeks, age ≥7 days and age <7 days. They were given a standard dose of gentamicin (5.2 ± 1.0 mg/kg/day).

Can gentamicin be used to treat sepsis in newborns?

Discussion and Conclusion Currently, the WHO recommends the use of gentamicin in combination with ampicillin or amoxicillin as empirical therapy for sepsis in newborns and infants (0–59 days old) (World Health Organization, 2015).

When is gentamicin (gentamicin injection pediatric) indicated in the treatment of bacterial pneumonia?

While not the antibiotic of first choice, gentamicin (gentamicin injection pediatric) may be considered when penicillins or other less potentially toxic drugs are contraindicated and bacterial susceptibility tests and clinical judgment indicate its use.

How long does gentamicin stay in the system in newborns?

In neonates less than three days old, approximately 10% of the administered dose is excreted in 12 hours; in infants 5 to 40 days old, approximately 40% is excreted over the same period. Excretion of gentamicin (gentamicin injection pediatric) correlates with postnatal age and creatinine clearance.