Purpose of review The goal of this review was to provide an update on the prevention and treatment options for invasive candidiasis (IC) in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Recent findings Studies have further validated the use of fluconazole for IC prophylaxis among high-risk patients in the NICU. It remains unclear if prophylaxis leads to resistance development and the ideal dosage regimen is still not clear. Recent studies have been published comparing caspofungin and micafungin to amphotericin B and illustrated similar efficacy outcomes in the NICU. Micafungin now has approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in infants < 4 months of age. Prophylactic strategies in the PICU could include zinc and vitamin D. Anidulafungin has recent non-comparative data supporting use in pediatric patients older than 1 month of age and also has a recent FDA approval for use in children 1 month of age and older. Summary Fluconazole prophylaxis remains a reasonable strategy in select NICU patients, although further analyses of resistance and the optimal dosage regimen are needed. Echinocandins are potential therapeutic options for non-meningitis or urinary tract infections in both the neonatal and pediatric population.

The pharmacist's role in pediatric care is critical for the provision of safe medication use secondary to differences in physical development, frequent off label use of medications, need for dose calculations, and the lack of standard dosage forms. Many regulatory agencies, health care organizations, and professional societies support the pharmacist as a member of the interdisciplinary team. However, specific details showcasing how pharmacists impact the care of pediatric patients in a quantifiable and meaningful way have not been well described. The purpose of this article is to

Purpose To summarize recently published research reports and practice guidelines deemed to be significantly impactful for pediatric pharmacy practice. Summary Our author group was composed of 8 board-certified pediatric pharmacists. Eight major themes were identified: critical care, hematology/oncology, medication safety, general pediatrics, infectious diseases, neurology/psychiatry, gastrointestinal/nutrition, and neonatology. The author group was assigned a specific theme(s) based on their practice expertise and were asked to identify articles using MEDLINE and/or searches of relevant journal articles pertaining to each theme that were published from January 2019 through December 2020 that they felt were “significant” for pediatric pharmacy practice. A final list of compiled articles was distributed to the authors, and an article was considered significant if it received a vote from 5 of the 8 authors. Thirty-two articles, including 16 clinical practice guidelines or position statements and 16 review or primary literature articles, were included in this review. For each of these articles, a narrative regarding its implications for pediatric pharmacy practice is provided. Conclusion Given the heterogeneity of pediatric patients, it is difficult for pediatric pharmacists to stay up to date with the most recent literature, especially in practice areas outside their main expertise. Over the last few years, there has been a significant number of publications impacting the practice of pediatric pharmacists. This review of articles that have significantly affected pediatric pharmacy practice may be helpful in staying up to date on key articles in the literature.

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