Optimal antibiotic use in the intensive care unit
Study context
- Population
- Patients with life-threatening infections in the ICU
- Outcome
- Components of optimal ICU antibiotic use
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- Familiarity with local ICU pathogens and their antibiotic susceptibilities is at the forefront of optimizing ICU antibiotic practices
- Timely antibiotic administration with PK/PD optimization (ideal dosing, infusion duration) should be key components of all ICU antibiotic strategies
- Microbiologic testing, incl. rapid diagnostic tests, can confirm the required regimen and allow de-escalation
- Biomarkers such as procalcitonin can help avoid unnecessary antibiotic use and shorten duration
- ICUs should routinely employ formal programs for reviewing and optimizing antibiotic practices (pharmacist and microbiologist input, order sets, computerized decision support, infection-prevention protocols, prophylaxis incl. Selective digestive decontamination (SDD))
- Combination regimens can increase likelihood of appropriate initial treatment while reducing resistance emergence in some circumstances
- AI/ML methods will increasingly enhance antibiotic decision making
Original publication
Optimal antibiotic use in the intensive care unit. Crit Care. Published 14 October 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →