1130. Vancomycin Use in Pediatric Severe Sepsis at a Freestanding Children’s Hospital

BACKGROUND: Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines recommend antibiotics be administered within 1 hour of severe sepsis (SS) onset, but do not suggest which agents to give. Vancomycin (VAN) is often chosen as empiric therapy for severe sepsis (SS) in children without evidence of the prevalence or risk factors for infections requiring VAN. As VAN is associated with significant nephrotoxicity, this study was performed to measure the risk-benefit ratio of empiric VAN use in pediatric sepsis. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of children with SS between 1/1/2015 to 6/30/2018 at the Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, as captured by billing data and sent to state Department of Health for mandated reporting. SS cases were assessed for risk factors for Gram-positive infections, including presence of a central venous line (CVL) or other invasive device; history of MRSA infection or nasal colonization within the last 2 years; skilled nursing facility (SNF) residence; and prolonged hospitalization of >1 month. Invasive infections for which vancomycin is an optimal agent, specifically culture-proven methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CoNS), and ampicillin-resistant Enterococcus infections, were defined as vancomycin requiring (VAN-req). Acute kidney injury (AKI) was defined as having a serum Creatinine of twice normal per age-related reference values. RESULTS: Of 304 identified SS cases, 8.9% had VAN-req infections. VAN was empirically given to 58.2% of cases (177); 86.4% ultimately did not have VAN-req infections. 9.2% of all SS cases had AKI at SS onset; this included 15.8% of patients (28) receiving VAN, of which only 1 (3.6%) had a VAN-req infection. History of a past MRSA infection, prolonged hospitalization, SNF residence, and CVL presence were found to be independent risk factors for a VAN-req infection (Table 1). VAN-req infections in patients lacking these four risk factors was 3.1% (4/130). CONCLUSION: VAN was given empirically in the majority of pediatric SS cases, but culture-proven infections requiring the drug were infrequent, especially in patients without specific risk factors. The use of empiric VAN for SS should be guided by well-defined criteria, as the drug’s potential risks are likely to outweigh any benefit in most patients. [Image: see text] DISCLOSURES: All authors: No reported disclosures.