Revisiting time to blood culture positivity: can we decrease antibiotic exposure in the NICU?

Key Points

• The research aims to assess whether discontinuing empiric antibiotics at 24 hours can be justified based on blood culture positivity rates.
• Analyzed blood culture positivity data in a NICU setting.
• Evaluated the impact of antibiotic exposure on patient outcomes.
• Set an a priori target of 90% positivity for adjusting antibiotic practices.
• Failed to meet the target of 90% blood culture positivity after 24 hours.
• Results do not support the cessation of empiric antibiotics at this timeframe.
• Highlights the need for individualized evaluation of NICU data before changing practices.

Abstract