Optimizing the Use of Antibiotic Agents

Running head: PHARMACY
MEDICINE OPTIMIZATION IN PAEDIATRIC ANTIMICROBIAL
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Table of Contents
Literature review........................................................................................................................2
Paediatrics..............................................................................................................................2
Changes with age...................................................................................................................2
Change in dosing ranges........................................................................................................2
Change in PK of the drugs.....................................................................................................2
Dosage calculation.................................................................................................................2
Common infections in children..............................................................................................2
Pneumonia infections in children...........................................................................................2
Treatment of pneumonia........................................................................................................2
Pharmacokinetics changes of antibacterial drugs against pneumonia in children.................2
Aim.............................................................................................................................................2
References..................................................................................................................................3

2PHARMACY
Literature review
Paediatrics
Paediatrics is a medicinal branch which deals with the medical care associated with
infant health. The age range ranges from birth up to an age of 18 years. The aim of
paediatrics study is to reduce the child and infant death rates by controlling the spread of
infectious and promotion of healthy lifestyles for a very long disease-free life (Lissauer and
Carroll 2017). Paediatrics is not only associated with dealing with the immediate
management of the ill health of a child, but also the term effects on quality life, survival and
disability. Paediatricians have been found to be involved with the prevention, early detection
and the management of problems such as developmental delays, behavioural problems,
functional disabilities, social stresses and mental disorders. Children are not treated as a
miniature adult because their body is physiologically different from the adult body (Samms-
Vaughan 2018). Genetic variance, developmental issues and congenital defects have been
found to be of great concern for the paediatricians than general adult physicians.The dosage
of drugs applied in the field of paediatrics is also different than that of a general physician.
This is because of the fact that the infant body system differs from a well-grown adult. Thus,
it can be stated that paediatrics is defined as the medicinal field which is concerned with the
children, infant and adolescent health including their development and growth associated
with the opportunity to achieve their full potential as adults. This is all about paediatrics and
its applicability in infant health. All of these details have been collected from various pieces
of literature from online databases.
Changes with age
Various physiological and metabolic changes are spotted as the age of the body increases. As
one grows, the immune system becomes powerful up to a certain level after which it becomes

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weaker. The overall cardiac output has been found to decrease with the increase in age
increase in blood pressure is observed and arteriosclerosis has been found to be developed.
Stomach linings and other drug absorbing surface linings become loose and permeable to
almost everything (Tyrrellet al. 2018). As one gets older, human body changes can affect the
process in which medicines are absorbed and used by the body. Changes in the digestive
systems have been found to be associated with the rate of drug absorption in the bloodstream.
As one grows, the bodyweight also changes which is related to the process of drug absorption
and the amount of drug one can take and the time of drug retention by the body. Slowing
down of the human circulatory system has been found to affect the rate of drug delivery to
the kidneys and liver. Human kidney and liver has been found to work slowly with ageing
which affects the process by which a drug breaks down and is finally removed from the body.
These are the overall changes of the human body associated with ageing and their
connections with drug absorption. The effect of dosage changes will be discussed in the
following section. The details of this section have been synthesised from authentic sources of
literature available in online databases.
Change in dosing ranges
According to various pieces of literature, it has been found that the two principal
organs for the absorption and metabolism of drugs are liver and the small intestine. All the
drugs first pass through these organs and then moves to all other parts of the body.The
volume of drug distribution throughout the body has been found to be directly proportional to
the age and weight of the associated individual. In various cases, age-associated changes in
the binding of the drug have been found to affect the distribution volume (Waring, Harris and
Mitchell 2017). Decreased clearance of drug has been observed in aged people which results
in the natural decline in the renal function associated with age-associated with the absence of
renal disease. Increased level of plasma drug concentrations has been found to occur due to