Principles of antimicrobial use Flashcards
What are the main steps of the systemic approach to antimicrobial use?
- Confirm presence of infection
- Identification of pathogens
- Selection of antimicrobial and regimen
- Monitor response
How to confirm presence of infection and indication for antibiotics?
- Risk factors
- Subjective evidence
- Objective evidence
- Possible site of infection
What are some host factors to consider when choosing a regimen for the patient?
Age, Hx of allergies and ADR, Pregnancy and lactation, renal/hepatic impairment, status of host immune function, severity of illness, recent antimicrobial use, healthcare-associated risk factors
Organism factors to consider when choosing a treatment regimen:
Identity of infecting organism, susceptibility of infecting organism
Benefits of combination therapy:
- Extend spectrum of activity
- Synergistic bactericidal effect
- Prevent resistance
Disadvantages of combination therapy:
- Increase risk of toxicity and allergy
- Increased chances of DDI
- Increased cost
- Selection of MDR bacteria
- Superinfections
- Antagonistic effects
Drug factors to consider when choosing a treatment regimen:
- Spectrum of activity
- Ability to reach site of infection
- PK-PD
- Route of administration
- Side effects/ADR
- DDI
- Drug cost
What has to be focused on when monitoring the response to treatment?
- Treatment goals
- Therapeutic response
- ADR
- When susceptibility/microbiological tests are available, optimise therapy
- Satisfactory response
- Unsatisfactory response may be due to :
- Inappropriate diagnosis, inappropriate choice of agent, subtheraprutic conc, Collections/abscess, impaired host defences, superinfection and toxicity of drug
What is the objective of the ASP?
- Best clinical outcomes
- Minimise toxicity and other adverse events
- Limit selective pressure on emergence of antimicrobial-resistant strains
- Decrease excessive costs attributable to suboptimal antimicrobial use
What are some of the antibiotics that require conc-dept bacterial killing?
- Aminoglycosides
- Fluoroquinolones
What are the antibiotics that are time dependent with no persistent effect?
- Penicillins
- Cephalosporins
- Carbapenems
Which antibiotic is time dependent with persistent effects?
- Vancomycin
Procalcitonin levels that encourages the starting of antibiotics
≥0.5µg/L
- ≥0.5, < 1µg/L: encouraged
- ≥ 1µg/L: strongly encouraged
Procalcitonin levels that encourages the stoppping of antibiotics
- <0.25µg/L: stopping strongly encouraged
- Decreased by 80% from peak conc. or ≥0.25, < 0.5 µg/L: stopping encouraged
A patient has CRP = 39mg/L. Does this confirm the presence of infection?
No. CRP increases whenever there is inflammation
Usual CRP levels for bacterial infection is very high (>40, can go above 200mg/L)