Synagis to prevent RSD

Specialties NICU

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Does anyone else give Synagis to prevent RSD? I give it all the time to infants in homecare. One of the mom's asked me today if there are any long term effects to using the drug? I have only heard good stuff about it?? Does anyone have any info?? I cannot imagine there all alot of long term studies that has been done. But, just curious??? Because I couldn't really answer her , besides to say there is risks with all drugs.

I also give Synagis to a babe I take care of via Home Health. I have not heard anything "bad" about it. As far as I remember when I read the enclosed literature and told the Mom about it, it is (I think) the dead virus. Therefore, there should be no long term affects, because the body is naturally building antibodies against the natural antigen. I'm pretty sure it is not synthetic, even tho it sounds like it. It is just so much safer to build up the baby against RSV. The babe I take care of most of the time was born at 24 weeks and has BPD, home O2 and even colds put him in the hospital. He did end up with RSV anyway, even after 3 doses of synagis, but the doctors said he had a mild case because of the vaccines, he could have been so much worse. I didn't know that they can get RSV more than once. A mother of an asthmatic babe said her son had it three times last year. This year has been extremely bad here for RSV (Kansas). Hope this helps.

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nurseyperson

[This message has been edited by nurseyperson (edited February 29, 2000).]

I also give Synagis via home health, and my understanding of it is that there are no long term effects known of yet.... i wonder how long the vaccine actually has been around?

Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.

Synagis (palivizumab) isn't a vaccine. It's a monoclonal antibody and provides passive immunity for the time the antibodies remain active in the body. That's why these kiddies need more than one dose per season. Read this for more information...

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/490607

Don't be confused by the fact that it comes from a newsletter on transplantation. RSV can be deadly for transplant recipients too.

Specializes in NICU, PICU, educator.

And the Synargis doesn't protect from the different strains of RSV...just the most common. And yeah, unfortunately, they can get RSV more than once, although the more "healthy" kids do build some antibodies to it. We give the shots starting Nov 1st thru March 31st. Here, they come to the RSV clinic to get the shot every month.

Specializes in NICU, PICU, educator.

And the Synargis doesn't protect from the different strains of RSV...just the most common. And yeah, unfortunately, they can get RSV more than once, although the more "healthy" kids do build some antibodies to it. We give the shots starting Nov 1st thru March 31st. Here, they come to the RSV clinic to get the shot every month.

Specializes in NICU.

Our babies get them in the peds offices or clinics between mid-October unil mid-April, I believe. We also give them on the unit to our big chronic babies who will be spending the winter with us, and we give the first shot to smaller babies a day or so before their discharge.

Specializes in NICU.

Our babies get them in the peds offices or clinics between mid-October unil mid-April, I believe. We also give them on the unit to our big chronic babies who will be spending the winter with us, and we give the first shot to smaller babies a day or so before their discharge.

Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.
Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.
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