Abstract
Infection in the critical care unit is a common and important cause of prolongation of hospital stay, morbidity, and mortality. The era of antimicrobial therapy has provided us with a rapidly expanding armamentarium of powerful drugs to treat these infections more effectively than ever before, but these drugs have come at a cost of resistant organisms, rising expenditures, and drug toxicity. Antibiotic selection is more difficult because of the emergence of resistant organisms, a multiplicity of drugs available with overlapping activity, and an era of cost-consciousness. Thoughtful consideration of the most likely etiologic agents, clinical status of the patient, and drug characteristics can lead to selection of an optimal therapeutic agent.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1-20 |
Number of pages | 20 |
Journal | Problems in Critical Care |
Volume | 6 |
Issue number | 1 |
State | Published - Jan 1 1992 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine