Which Antibiotics Are Prescribed for Pediatric Ambulatory UTI?

Broad-spectrum antibiotics are prescribed in one third of pediatric outpatient visits for urinary tract infection, and use of third-generation cephalosporins has doubled in the past decade.

Pediatricians usually treat children with urinary tract infections (UTIs) empirically and must choose from several antibiotic options before culture results are known. To examine antibiotic prescribing patterns for pediatric outpatient UTIs, researchers analyzed national data for 1828 outpatient UTI visits in children (age, <18 years) from 1998 to 2007, which represent an estimated 16 million pediatric UTI visits during the study period.

Antibiotics were prescribed at 70% of visits. Ten percent of visits involved parenteral treatment, and <1% led to hospitalization. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole was prescribed in about half of UTI visits, and broad-spectrum antibiotics (amoxicillin-clavulanate, a second- or third-generation cephalosporin, a …

Reviewing Author

Cornelius W. Van Niel, MD

Disclosures

EquityMedtronic; Express Scripts; Johnson & Johnson; Merck

Cornelius W. Van Niel, MD

Disclosures

EquityMedtronic; Express Scripts; Johnson & Johnson; Merck

Which Antibiotics Are Prescribed for Pediatric Ambulatory UTI?

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Reviewing Author