Antibiotics (Feb 2023)

Antimicrobial Stewardship Techniques for Critically Ill Patients with Pneumonia

  • Jenna Adams,
  • Kaitlin Ferguson,
  • RaeAnn Hirschy,
  • Erica Konopka,
  • Jordan Meckel,
  • Grace Benanti,
  • Shannon Kuhrau,
  • Fritzie Albarillo,
  • Kevin Chang,
  • Maressa Santarossa,
  • Julia Sapozhnikov,
  • Brian Hoff,
  • Megan A Rech

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12020295
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 2
p. 295

Abstract

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Pneumonia is common in the intensive care unit (ICU), infecting 27% of all critically ill patients. Given the high prevalence of this disease state in the ICU, optimizing antimicrobial therapy while minimizing toxicities is of utmost importance. Inappropriate antimicrobial use can increase the risk of antimicrobial resistance, Clostridiodes difficile infection, allergic reaction, and other complications from antimicrobial use (e.g., QTc prolongation, thrombocytopenia). This review article aims to discuss methods to optimize antimicrobial treatment in patients with pneumonia, including the following: procalcitonin use, utilization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus nares testing to determine need for vancomycin therapy, utilization of the Biofire® FilmArray® pneumonia polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and microbiology reporting techniques.

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