AN AUDIT OF VANCOMYCIN PLASMA CONCENTRATIONS WHEN VANCOMYCIN IS ADMINISTERED BY CONTINUOUS INTRAVENOUS INFUSION IN NEONATES.

Aim: To compare continuous intravenous infusions of vancomycin in achieving desired therapeutic plasma concentrations against an intermittent bolus regimen.

Method: Data were collected for all babies who received a continuous infusion of vancomycin on our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) between October 2014 and March 2015. The regimen is based on that of another hospital (Hospital A) and comprised of a loading dose of 15 mg/kg over 1 hour followed by a continuous infusion of 20-50 mg/kg/day according to creatinine and corrected gestational age (CGA).

Newborn pulse oximetry screening in practice.

The concept of using pulse oximetry (PO) as a screening test to identify newborn babies with critical congenital heart defects (CCHD) before life-threatening collapse occurs has been debated for some time now. Several recent large studies have consistently shown that PO screening adds value to existing screening techniques with over 90% of CCHDs detected. It can also help identify newborn babies with low oxygen saturations due to infection, respiratory disease and non-critical CCHD.