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Inappropriate antibiotic use in soft tissue infections
Keyianoosh Z Paydar1, Scott L Hansen, Edwin D Charlebois
1Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Surgery, San Francisco General Hospital, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA.
Archives of Surgery (Chicago, Ill. : 1960)
|September 20, 2006
Summary
Soft tissue infections treated with surgical drainage show high cure rates, even with antibiotics not targeting the specific bacteria. This suggests potential for antibiotic de-escalation in managing these infections.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Surgical Infections
- Antimicrobial Stewardship
Background:
- Soft tissue infections often require surgical drainage.
- Antibiotic selection is crucial for effective treatment.
- The role of antibiotic appropriateness in outcomes needs further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the cure rates of soft tissue infections treated with surgical drainage.
- To assess the impact of antibiotic appropriateness on treatment outcomes.
- To investigate the efficacy of antibiotics not active against the isolated organism.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective study design.
- Inclusion of patients from an Integrated Soft Tissue Infection Services clinic.
- Analysis of microbiological culture results and clinical outcomes for 376 patients with 450 infections.
Main Results:
- Staphylococcus aureus was the predominant pathogen.
- High cure rates were observed regardless of antibiotic appropriateness.
- Treatment failure was low, occurring in both appropriately and inappropriately treated groups.
Conclusions:
- Surgical drainage is a key factor in resolving soft tissue infections.
- High cure rates persist even with non-targeted antibiotic therapy.
- Further research is warranted to explore antibiotic-sparing strategies for these infections.
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