Physician judgement important in reducing RSV-related hospitalizations

Approximately 4,000 medical records from premature infants born at 32-to-35 weeks gestational age were reviewed. Fifty percent of those infants received Synagis. RSV prophylaxis was requested, but not administered in about one quarter of these infants. This group was found to have an RSV hospitalization rate of 8.3 percent, which was almost three times the rate of RSV hospitalization among those infants whose physicians did not request RSV prophylaxis (2.9 percent).

“These data support our position that pediatricians should have the final say in the diagnosis and care of their high-risk patients,” said Jessie Groothuis, M.D., lead author of the study and MedImmune vice president, medical and scientific affairs, infectious disease. “Our findings indicate that after nearly 10 years of use of Synagis, the clinical judgment and experience of physicians serve to identify infants at high risk of RSV hospitalization, and should be relied upon to ensure patients get proper care.”

This retrospective chart review, conducted in 10 geographic regions across the United States, included 376 physicians from 2005 to 2006. Data were presented at a poster session at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) Annual Meeting being held this week in Honolulu, HI. -Edelman Public Relations