[The management of antibiotic therapy in critically ill patients with AKI: between underdosing and toxicity].

Changes in microbiology and dialysis techniques in intensive care have made the use of antibiotics on nephropathic patients more complex. Several recent studies have modified our knowledge about the use of antibiotics in the care of critically ill patients, highlighting the frequency of their inappropriate use: both underdosing, risking low efficacy, and overdosing, with an increase in toxicity. Kidneys, organs devoted to excretion and metabolism, are a potential target of pharmacological toxicity. Extracorporeal replacement therapy is also a possible drug elimination route. What we call nefropharmacology represents a complex, tangled and rapidly evolving subject of multi-specialist interest. We have reviewed here most of the recent literature dealing with the appropriateness of antibiotic use, focusing on the most interesting contributions from a nephrological perspective.
(Copyright by Società Italiana di Nefrologia SIN, Rome, Italy.)