Morbidity in pediatric burns, toxic shock syndrome, and antibiotic prophylaxis: a retrospective comparative study.
The prophylactic use of antibiotic for pediatric burns has been suggested as a possible means of reduction of toxic shock syndrome. In our study, we review 1250 burn cases during a 16-year period (1983-1999). There was a change in protocol during this period (after 1991, all pediatric burn received prophylactic antibiotics irrespective of presentation), thus creating 2 groups: our control who received antibiotics when clinically necessary and our cases who received antibiotics as routine prophylaxis. Our results show no statistical difference between the 2 groups both in signs of morbidity and signs of potential toxic shock syndrome. We conclude that prophylactic antibiotic use is unnecessary and the use of antibiotics should be guided on a case by case basis according to symptoms.
From the *Department of Plastic Surgery, Lister Hospital, Coreys Mill Lane, Stevenage; †Department of Plastic Surgery, Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge; Departments of ‡Urogynaecology, and §Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Imperial College London, London; and ∥Department of Plastic Surgery, Salisbury Hospital Odstock, Salisbury, UK.
Stephen
S
Mulgrew
Anna
A
Khoo
Rufus
R
Cartwright
Nick
N
Reynolds
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019072:Antibiotic Prophylaxis; D002056:Burns / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012772:Shock, Septic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents