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has been cited by the following article:

• TITLE: Evaluation of rational use of antimicrobial agents in a Brazilian intensive care unit

  AUTHORS: Fabiana Xavier Cartaxo Salgado, Tarquino Erastides Gavilanes Sanchez, Noriberto Barbosa da Silva, Hildeamo Bonifácio Oliveira, Mauro Karnikowski, Margô Gomes de Oliveira Karnikowski

  KEYWORDS: Rational use of Antimicrobial Agents; Intensive Care Unit; Microbial Resistance

  JOURNAL NAME: Health, Vol.6 No.2, January 26, 2014

  ABSTRACT: The present study sought to assess the rational use of antimicrobial agents in a Brazilian intensive care unit (ICU) and its association with antimicrobial resistance in elderly patients admitted to the unit. Results: Choice of empiric and sensitivity-guided therapy was inadequate in > 80% and 59% of cases respectively. Inadequate antimicrobial therapy, whether empiric or sensitivity-guided, was positively correlated with bacterial resistance (r = 0.316; p = 0.001). Sensitivity testing revealed a 46.5% resistance rate to eight out of the ten most commonly used antibiotics. Multiple drug-resistant organisms were found in 40.8% of patients. A significant increase was observed in the number of multidrug-resistant samples between 2006/2007 and 2008 (r = 0.41, p = 0.006), (r = 0.598, p = 0.001), (r = 0.688, p = 0.00). Conclusion: We found a high rate of antibiotic misuse in the study sample. Inadequate therapy was correlated with resistance to antimicrobial agents.