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The impact of beta-lactam allergy labels on hospitalized children

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 September 2020

Trahern W. Jones Open the ORCID record for Trahern W. Jones [Opens in a new window] ,
Nora Fino ,
Jared Olson  and
Adam L. Hersh
Trahern W. Jones*
Affiliation:
Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
Nora Fino
Affiliation:
Division of Epidemiology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
Jared Olson
Affiliation:
Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah Department of Pharmacy, Primary Children’s Hospital, Salt Lake City, Utah
Adam L. Hersh
Affiliation:
Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
*
Author for correspondence: Trahern W. Jones, E-mail: [email protected].
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Abstract

Background and objectives:

Antibiotic allergy labels are common and are frequently inaccurate. Previous studies among adults demonstrate that β-lactam allergy labels may lead to adverse outcomes, including prescription of broader-spectrum antibiotics, increased costs, and increased lengths of stay, among others. However, data among pediatric patients are lacking, especially in the United States. In this study, we sought to determine the impact of β-lactam allergy labels in hospitalized children with regards to clinical and economic outcomes.

Method:

This retrospective cohort study included pediatric patients 30 days to 17 years old, hospitalized at Intermountain Healthcare facilities from 2007 to 2017, who received ≥1 dose of an antibiotic during their admission. Patients with β-lactam allergies were matched to nonallergic patients based on age, sex, clinical service line, admission date, academic children’s hospital or other hospital admission, and the presence of chronic, comorbid conditions. Outcomes included receipt of broader-spectrum antibiotics, clinical outcomes including length of stay and readmission, and antibiotic and hospitalization costs.

Results:

In total, 38,906 patients were identified. The prevalence of antibiotic allergy increased from 0.9% among those < 1 year peaked at 10.6% by age 17. Patients with β-lactam allergy received broader-spectrum antibiotics and experienced higher antibiotic costs than nonallergic controls. However, there were no differences in the length of stay, readmission rates, or total number of days of antibiotics between allergic and nonallergic patients.

Conclusions:

Hospitalized pediatric patients with β-lactam allergy labels receive broader-spectrum antibiotics and experience increased antibiotic costs. This represents an important opportunity for allergy delabeling and antibiotic stewardship.

Type
Original Article
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 42 , Issue 3 , March 2021 , pp. 318 - 324
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Copyright
© 2020 by The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. All rights reserved.

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Footnotes

PREVIOUS PUBLICATION: Preliminary data from this study were presented at the 2019 IDWeek Conference, October 5, 2019, Washington, DC.

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