[Adverse reactions by antibiotics in a pediatric and neonatal intensive care unit located in Bogotá, Colombia].

INTRODUCTION: Critical care patients have a high probability of presenting adverse drugs reactions because the polytherapy that they receive usually include schemes with two or more antibiotics. Most antibiotics have high toxicity risk, which can be potentialized when being associated with other drugs.
OBJECTIVE: Adverse reactions were detected and described in patients treated with antibiotics in a pediatric and neonatal intensive care.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A follow up, descriptive and observational study of a cohort was made without control group. A daily follow-up was administered for a three month period for each patient. Causality was evaluated on the basis of the Naranjo scale.
RESULTS: Eighty-five patients were included in the study, 36.5% from the neonatal intensive care unit and 63.5% from the pediatric clinic. Of twenty-seven antimicrobial medications administered, 97 adverse reactions were detected for 15 of these, in 37 patients (20 newborn and 17 older children). They were classified as mild (65%), moderate (35%) and serious (0). According to scale of Naranjo, 68% were possible, 32% probable, and defined, none. Based on laboratory test results, renal toxicity was detected in 38.1%, hematotoxicity in 24.7%,electrolytic abnormalities in 21.6% and hepatotoxicity in 15.5%. The distribution of adverse antibiotic reactions was as follows: gentamycine 20.6%, vancomycin 17.5%, amikacine 16.5%, ceftriaxone 15.5% and piperaciline tazobactam 13.4%.
CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of adverse reactions was of 43.7%. 55.6% of antibiotics produced adverse reactions. A program of institutional pharmacovigilance coordinated by a medical pharmacologist or pharmaceutical chemist was recommended by these data.