The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy
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J. Antimicrob. Chemother. · Dec 2010
Antimicrobial stewardship: an evidence-based, antimicrobial self-assessment toolkit (ASAT) for acute hospitals.
To describe the methodology in developing an antimicrobial self-assessment toolkit (ASAT). ⋯ The ASAT offers a web-enabled, version-controlled instrument for the assessment of antimicrobial stewardship in acute hospitals. It may offer a sensitive instrument to assess longitudinal progress on antimicrobial stewardship in an individual institution or act as a benchmark with similar organizations. Further work is ongoing to evaluate and further refine the ASAT.
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J. Antimicrob. Chemother. · Dec 2010
Review Meta AnalysisImportance of appropriate empirical antibiotic therapy for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia.
To document the effects of appropriate and inappropriate empirical antibiotic therapy on mortality in a cohort of patients with bacteraemia due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and to summarize effects with previous studies. ⋯ Appropriate empirical antibiotic treatment has a significant survival benefit in MRSA bacteraemia. Treatment guidelines should consider this benefit.
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J. Antimicrob. Chemother. · Dec 2010
Randomized Controlled TrialRandomized controlled trial of nebulized colistimethate sodium as adjunctive therapy of ventilator-associated pneumonia caused by Gram-negative bacteria.
Cases of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) due to multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are common in hospitalized patients at Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand. Parenteral colistimethate sodium (CMS) has been used for therapy of VAP caused by MDR A. baumannii and P. aeruginosa at Siriraj Hospital over the past few years, with modest favourable outcomes. Objectives To determine whether nebulized CMS as adjunctive therapy of Gram-negative VAP was safe and beneficial. ⋯ Nebulized CMS as adjunctive therapy of Gram-negative VAP seems to be safe. However, a beneficial effect on clinical outcomes of adjunctive nebulized CMS for therapy of Gram-negative VAP was not ascertained.
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J. Antimicrob. Chemother. · Dec 2010
Antibiotic prescribing in general practice--the rhythm of the week: a cross-sectional study.
Overprescribing of antibiotics in primary care is a worldwide phenomenon. Prescriptions can be used to reduce the uncertainty inherent in general practice. We assumed a heightened prescribing rate on Fridays because of more uncertainty before the pending weekend. ⋯ There is periodic fluctuation of antibiotic prescribing rates over the week. This cannot be explained by morbidity itself. Factors beyond biomedical indication are well known to influence prescribing patterns. These factors should not only be further explored, but also acknowledged when trying to reduce overprescribing.
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J. Antimicrob. Chemother. · Dec 2010
Repurposing FDA-approved drugs to combat drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii.
The rising occurrence of drug-resistant pathogens accentuates the need to identify novel antibiotics. We wanted to identify new scaffolds for drug discovery by repurposing FDA-approved drugs against Acinetobacter baumannii, an emerging Gram-negative nosocomial drug-resistant pathogen. ⋯ The paucity of identified compounds active against drug-resistant A. baumannii exemplifies its ability to resist antimicrobials as well as the resilience of drug-resistant Gram-negative pathogens. Repurposing of approved drugs is a viable alternative to de novo drug discovery and development.