Carbapenem Resistance — in the Gut of Critically Ill Patients

Weekly rectal swabs showed carriage prevalence of imipenem-resistant gram-negative bacteria increasing with duration of ICU stay, reaching >50% at 6 weeks; prior imipenem exposure was a major risk factor.

Infections caused by gram-negative bacteria producing extended-spectrum β-lactamases are on the rise worldwide, especially among critically ill patients. These pathogens are resistant to β-lactams, with the exception of carbapenems, and often also to many other antimicrobial agents. Consequently, carbapenem use has increased, both for documented infections and for empirical treatment of critically ill patients. But what does this increase mean with respect to emerging carbapenem resistance?

To find out, researchers conducted a study involving patients treated between May and October 2008 in the medical or surgical intensive care units (ICUs) of one Paris hospital, where rectal swabs are routinely collected on admission and weekly thereafter.…

Reviewing Author

Thomas Glück, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsConsilium Infectiorum by InfectoPharm, Infection

Thomas Glück, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsConsilium Infectiorum by InfectoPharm, Infection