Briefs

1/27/2006. In a data mining study of neonatal outcomes that points to the potential of electronic health records (EHRs) to advance patient care, Pediatrix Medical Group researchers have identified a life-saving difference between two antibiotic combinations frequently used to fight infection in premature infants.

Researchers with Pediatrix, the nation's largest provider of neonatal and maternal-fetal care, mined the group practice's clinical database to compare the outcomes of more than 128,000 neonates treated with antibiotics over an eight-year period, 1996-2004. Their peer-reviewed study, "Empiric Use of Ampicillin and Cefotaxime, Compared With Ampicillin and Gentamicin, for Neonates at Risk for Sepsis," appears in January's Pediatrics journal.

In examining outcomes, the Pediatrix study found that premature babies who received the antibiotic combination of ampicillin and cefotaxime within three days of birth had a higher mortality rate, compared with those treated with ampicillin and gentamicin. Based on those results, Pediatrix strongly advises neonatal health professionals to avoid the ampicillin-cefotaxim combination and consider alternative antibiotic treatments.

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