Influences of alternate therapy protocol and continuous infectious disease consultation on antibiotic susceptibility in ICU

Abstract

In this study, the effects of alternate use of imipenem and cefoperazone/sulbactam (CFP/Sul) on antibiotic resistance in the intensive care unit (ICU) were investigated. Between 1 April 1993 and 1 April 1994, the infectious diseases consultant saw patients when required and there was no alternative therapy for antibiotics. For the following 2 years, the same consultant followed up each patient from admission to discharge by daily visits to the ICU and an alternative therapy protocol was initiated. The most common microorganisms were found to be Acinetobacter baumannii and Staphylococcus aureus, followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae, respectively, in the two periods. This study demonstrated that sensitivity rates of imipenem, ciprofloxacin and aminoglycosides were improved as a result of this protocol.