Microbiologic Surveillance and Parenteral Antibiotic Use in a Critical Care Unit

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate parenteral antibiotic utilization and bacterial resistance patterns in a critical care unit (CrCU).DESIGN: Descriptive, prospective audit of infection site, culture and antimicrobial susceptibility test results, parenteral antibiotic usage and duration, total antibiotic acquisition costs, and length of stay.SETTING: A 17-bed medical-surgical CrCU in a tertiary care teaching hospital in Metropolitan Toronto.PATIENTS: Two hundred and fifty-eight patients admitted to the CrCU between May 1995 and April 1996 who received antimicrobial therapy.RESULTS: The most frequently prescribed antibiotics were cefazolin (47%, 1098 g), gentamicin (33%,141 g) and ceftriaxone (20%, 255 g). The most common indications for antimicrobial therapy included surgical prophylaxis (34%) and pneumonia (35%). The following organisms were isolated from patients treated with antibiotics:Staphylococcus aureus(26%),Pseudomonas aeruginosa(13%), enterococci (12%),Haemophilus influenzae(11%),Escherichia coli(11%),Enterobacter cloacae(8%) and other Gram-negative bacilli (19%). Only 9% of Gram-negative bacilli were resistant to aminoglycosides, 3% were resistant to ciprofloxacin and no extended-spectrum beta-lactamases or imipenem-resistance were detected. No vancomycin-resistant enterococci and only two methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureusisolates were identified.CONCLUSIONS: Antibiotic use during the audit appeared appropriate for the specific clinical indications. Low levels of bacterial resistance were detected during the audit.