Match the Bug to the Drug
Match the Bug to the Drug
• If fever is the patient’s only sign of infection, the patient should not automatically be placed on an antibiotic.• For treatment of a presumed infection, appropriate diagnostic tests, such as cultures, should always be done before starting treatment with antibiotics.
• A single drug and the most narrow-spectrum drug or drugs should be used whenever possible, especially if the infecting organism or organisms are known at the outset.
• Reassess the need for continued antimicrobial therapy daily and modify therapy based on culture results.
• Don’t extend surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis beyond 24 hours postoperatively. Patients undergoing most surgeries can receive a single dose of preoperative antibiotic.
Source: Maki DG. "Nosocomial Infection in the Intensive Care Unit." In: Parrillo JE, Bone RC, eds. Critical Care Medicine: Principles of Diagnosis and Management. St. Louis: Mosby Year Book Inc.; 1995, pp. 893-954.
Subscribe Now for Access
You have reached your article limit for the month. We hope you found our articles both enjoyable and insightful. For information on new subscriptions, product trials, alternative billing arrangements or group and site discounts please call 800-688-2421. We look forward to having you as a long-term member of the Relias Media community.