title: Drug utilization in very premature infants in neonatal intensive care units.
abstract: Neonatal drug utilization in very premature infants (gestational age (GA) 24-29 weeks), requiring intubation and mechanical ventilation at birth was registered as part of a multicenter controlled clinical trial of high-dose versus low-dose bovine surfactant (initial doses 100 mg/kg birth weight (b.w.) versus 50 mg/kg b.w.). Drug utilization during 4 weeks after birth was analyzed in 164 infants (mean GA 27.2 +/- 1.2 (SD) weeks, b.w. 970 +/- 145 g (SD)). More than half of the study infants received antibiotics (98.8%), sedatives and analgesics (91.5%), sodium bicarbonate (78%), solutions for volume replacement (62.8%), methylxanthines (56.7%) and catecholamines (52.4%). It may be concluded that the pattern of drug usage indicates a high incidence of proven or suspected infections and circulatory and respiratory disorders reflecting the high-risk state of study infants.
authors.affiliation: University Children's Hospital, Ulm, FRG.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gortner
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Bernsau
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brand
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Hellwege
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hieronimi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jorch
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Reiter
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Versmold
mesh_terms: D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004363:Drug Utilization; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D013501:Surface-Active Agents