Short duration of parenteral antibiotics in infants with urinary tract infections.

Objectives: Current guidelines by the Canadian Paediatric Society on treating urinary tract infections (UTIs) exclude infants ≤ 60 days old. There is considerable practice variability in this age group, especially around the optimal duration of parenteral antibiotics. The study aimed to assess local practice patterns, and the safety of a short course (≤3 days) of parenteral antibiotics in young infants.

Conservative and Surgical Modalities in the Management of Pediatric Parapneumonic Effusion and Empyema: A Living Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.

Background: The optimal treatment for community-acquired childhood pneumonia complicated by empyema remains unclear.

Research Question: In children with parapneumonic effusion or empyema, do hospital length of stay and other key clinical outcomes differ according to the treatment modality used?

Study Design And Methods: A living systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted by searching the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature, Ovid MEDLINE, and Web of Science Core Collection databases. Eligible RCTs included patients aged < 18 years and compared two of the following treatment modalities: antibiotics alone, chest tube insertion with or without fibrinolytics, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), and decortication via thoracotomy.