Introduction:

Antibiotics are frequently used in intensive care units (ICUs).

Objective:

To describe the trends of antibiotic use in Colombian ICUs across 8 years.

Methods:

This was a descriptive study that analyzed the consumption of antibiotics in 11 ICUs in 7 different cities. Data regarding antibiotic consumption during the period 2010 to 2017 were reviewed for patients older than 18 years. Demographic, pharmacological and cost variables were analyzed.

Results:

A total of 31,886 patients (50.8% men), with a mean age of 60.3±19.8 years, were treated with antibiotics. The most widely used antibiotics were piperacillin-tazobactam (25.2%), ampicillin-sulbactam (21.8%), and vancomycin (21.4%). The use of cefepime increased from 5.7 defined daily doses per 100 bed-days (DBD) in 2010 to 11.3 in 2017, followed by the use of meropenem (14.73 to 20.18 DBD). The average cost per patient/day decreased from USD 16.1 to USD 8.0 (reduction of 50.3%). From the total cost, 41.3% corresponded to meropenem and 25.8% to piperacillin-tazobactam.

Conclusions:

The antimicrobials used in the ICU correspond to those recommended by the clinical practice guidelines. An increase in the DBD of some cephalosporins, carbapenems and penicillins and a significant reduction in the cost per patient day were observed.

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