A week seems to be weak: tailoring duration of antibiotic treatment in Gram-negative ventilator-associated pneumonia

Crit Care. 2013 Jan 21;17(1):106. doi: 10.1186/cc11899.

Abstract

The optimal length of antimicrobial therapy has not been extensively studied for a great majority of infections and, in critically ill patients affected by ventilator-associated pneumonia, is a persisting and unsolved issue confronting clinicians. The integration of biomarkers, clinical judgment, and microbiologic eradication might help to define a shorter duration for some ventilator-associated pneumonia episodes due to non-fermenting Gram-negative bacilli, but until these strategies are implemented in clinical practice for individualizing antibiotic treatment, a short-course duration does not seem to tailor a long benefit.

Publication types

  • Comment

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Carbapenems / therapeutic use*
  • Cilastatin / therapeutic use*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Imipenem / therapeutic use*
  • Male
  • Pneumonia, Ventilator-Associated / drug therapy*

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Carbapenems
  • Cilastatin
  • Imipenem