1742. Predictors of Antiviral Receipt for Influenza in Hospitalized U.S. Children, New Vaccine Surveillance Network (NVSN), 2016–2020
Authors: Amarin Justin Z , Hamdan Olla , Antoon James W , Spieker Andrew J , Stewart Laura S , Michaels Marian G , Williams John V , Klein Eileen J , Englund Janet A , Weinberg Geoffrey A , Szilagyi Peter G , Schuster Jennifer E , Selvarangan Rangaraj , Boom Julie A , Munoz Flor M , Staat Mary A , Schlaudecker Elizabeth P , Chappell James , Clopper Benjamin R , Moline Heidi L , Campbell Angela P , Olson Samantha M , Halasa Natasha B 
Published: November 2023

Background

Children hospitalized with suspected or confirmed influenza should promptly receive influenza antivirals, as recommended by the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, despite these recommendations, antiviral receipt remains suboptimal. We assessed predictors of antiviral receipt for influenza in hospitalized children.

Methods

We conducted active, population-based surveillance of children presenting with fever or respiratory symptoms from December 1, 2016, to March 31, 2020, at seven children’s hospitals in the CDC NVSN. The cohort consisted of children hospitalized with influenza confirmed by research molecular testing. We assessed predictors of antiviral receipt, selected a priori, using logistic regression, and included all in the final model.

Results

We enrolled and tested 16,853 hospitalized children for influenza, identifying 1,120 laboratory-confirmed cases (6.6%). Of these laboratory-confirmed cases, clinicians ordered influenza testing for 693/1,120 (61.9%), and among those tested, 599/693 (86.4%) tested positive by clinical assays. Overall, 545/1,120 children (48.7%) received influenza antivirals. Of those with a positive clinical test, 405/599 (67.6%) received antivirals. Factors associated with higher odds of antiviral receipt included an underlying oncologic or immunocompromising disorder, symptom onset ≤ 2 days, intensive care unit (ICU) admission at presentation, use of influenza antivirals for this illness prior to hospitalization, and a positive clinical test (Table). Additionally, we found that a negative clinical test was associated with lower odds of antiviral receipt, and receipt varied significantly by study site.

Table

Logistic regression model of influenza-specific antiviral receipt among hospitalized children testing positive for influenza by research testing, December 1, 2016, and March 31, 2020 (N=1,120).

Conclusion

More than half of children hospitalized with influenza in our surveillance population did not receive antivirals, despite treatment recommendations. Efforts to improve antiviral receipt are important for optimizing care in all children hospitalized with influenza, and clinician education should continue to highlight the use of antivirals across the full spectrum of children hospitalized with influenza, including children not admitted to the ICU and those without underlying conditions.

Disclosures

Marian G. Michaels, MD, MPH, Merck: Grant/Research Support|Viracor: Grant/Research Support John V. Williams, MD, Merck: Grant/Research Support|Quidel: Board Member Janet A. Englund, MD, Ark Biopharma: Advisor/Consultant|AstraZeneca: Advisor/Consultant|AstraZeneca: Grant/Research Support|GlaxoSmithKline: Grant/Research Support|Meissa Vaccines: Advisor/Consultant|Merck: Grant/Research Support|Moderna: Advisor/Consultant|Moderna: Grant/Research Support|Pfizer: Advisor/Consultant|Pfizer: Grant/Research Support|Sanofi Pasteur: Advisor/Consultant Geoffrey A. Weinberg, MD, Merck & Co: Honoraria Rangaraj Selvarangan, BVSc, PhD, D(ABMM), FIDSA, FAAM, Abbott: Honoraria|Altona Diagnostics: Grant/Research Support|Baebies Inc: Advisor/Consultant|BioMerieux: Advisor/Consultant|BioMerieux: Grant/Research Support|Bio-Rad: Grant/Research Support|Cepheid: Grant/Research Support|GSK: Advisor/Consultant|Hologic: Grant/Research Support|Lab Simply: Advisor/Consultant|Luminex: Grant/Research Support Flor M. Munoz, MD, MSc, CDC respiratory virus surveillance: Grant/Research Support|Gilead: Grant/Research Support|Moderna, sanofi, aztra zeneca, Merck, GSK: Advisor/Consultant|NIH: DSMB|NIH COVID-19 vaccines in pregnancy: Grant/Research Support|Pfizer Pediatric COVID-19 vaccines: Grant/Research Support|Pfizer, Dynavax, Monderna, Meissa, NIH: DSMB Mary A. Staat, MD, MPH, CDC: Grant/Research Support|Cepheid: Grant/Research Support|Merck: Grant/Research Support|NIH: Grant/Research Support|Pfizer: Grant/Research Support|Up-To-Date: Honoraria Elizabeth P. Schlaudecker, MD, MPH, Pfizer: Grant/Research Support|Sanofi Pasteur: Advisor/Consultant Natasha B. Halasa, MD, MPH, Merck: Grant/Research Support|Quidell: Grant/Research Support|Quidell: donation of kits|Sanofi: Grant/Research Support|Sanofi: vaccine support