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Aims: Vancomycin is frequently used in critically ill children in whom the drug pharmacokinetics are significantly altered as a result of changes in renal clearance and volume of distribution. Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is recommended to achieve vancomycin trough concentrations between 10 and 20 mg/L. In this study we reviewed vancomycin dosing, TDM and treatment outcomes in paediatric and neonatal intensive care unit patients. Methods: We reviewed the medical records of all patients receiving intravenous vancomycin in a tertiary paediatric and neonatal intensive care unit over a 10‐month period. Demographic, vancomycin dosing, TDM and drug‐related adverse effects data were collected. Results: In total, 115 children received 126 courses of vancomycin and had at least 1 TDM blood sample taken at steady state. In only 38/126 (30%) courses was the target concentration (10–20 mg/L) achieved at the initial steady state trough sample. Of the 88 courses that had initial trough concentrations outside the target range, the dose was adjusted in only 49 (56%). Overall, minimum doses of 30 mg/kg/day in neonates with a corrected gestational age of <35 weeks, and 50 mg/kg/day in older children, were required to achieve target vancomycin concentrations. Vancomycin‐attributable nephrotoxicity occurred in 10/126 (8%) courses and there were no episodes of red man syndrome. Conclusion: In critically ill children, individualised dosing is needed. In the absence of Bayesian model‐based dosing, in children with normal renal function, empiric vancomycin doses of at least 30 mg/kg/day in neonates of <35 weeks corrected gestational age, and 50 mg/kg/day in older children, should be considered. Optimisation of TDM practices through the development of protocols, ideally built into electronic medical records, should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Performance of individualized vancomycin dosing assessed using an online model-based dosing calculator (Vanc App) • Of 40 young infants, 75% achieved a target trough concentration of 10-20 mg/L at first steady-state concentration • 83% of young infants achieved a target AUC 0-24 of 400-650 mg/L.h Empiric vancomycin dosing regimens fail to achieve recommended target trough concentrations of 10-20 mg/L in the majority of infants. This study assessed the performance of a model-based dosing calculator (Vanc App) in achieving target vancomycin concentrations at first steady-state level. This was a multicenter prospective study in four tertiary pediatric hospitals over an 18-month period. Infants aged 0-90 days with suspected Gram-positive sepsis requiring empiric vancomycin treatment were included if they did not meet any of the exclusion criteria: post-menstrual age (PMA) <25 weeks, weight <500 g, glycopeptide allergy, receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, vancomycin use within the previous 72 h, and renal impairment. The Vanc App used a published population pharmacokinetic model to generate a dose based on the infant's PMA, weight, creatinine, and target vancomycin concentration. A total of 40 infants were included; 40% were female, median (range) weight was 2505 (700-4460) g and median (range) PMA was 37.4 (25.7-49.0) weeks. The median (range) vancomycin dose was 45 (24-79) mg/kg/day. All infants had trough vancomycin concentrations measured at steady-state (24-<48 hours) and 30 (75%) infants achieved target concentrations. Five infants had supratherapeutic (median 25, range 21-38 mg/L) and five had subtherapeutic (median 6, range <5-9 mg/L) concentrations. An area under the concentration-time curve (AUC 0-24) of 400-650 mg/L.h was achieved in 33 (83%) infants. There were no infusion-related reactions or nephrotoxicity. Individualized intermittent vancomycin dosing using a model-based online calculator resulted in 75% and 83% of infants achieving target trough and AUC 0-24 , respectively, at first steady-state level. There were no vancomycin-related nephrotoxicity or infusion-related reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]