Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 19, 2026

Multiplex Therapeutic Drug Monitoring by Isotope-dilution HPLC-MS/MS of Antibiotics in Critical Illnesses
11:17

Multiplex Therapeutic Drug Monitoring by Isotope-dilution HPLC-MS/MS of Antibiotics in Critical Illnesses

Published on: August 30, 2018

Antibiotic heterogeneity optimizes antimicrobial prescription and enables resistant pathogen control in the intensive

Greta L Piper1, Lewis J Kaplan

  • 1Section of Trauma, Surgical Critical Care, and Surgical Emergencies, Department of Surgery, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA.

Surgical Infections
|August 24, 2012
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Heterogeneity in antibiotic prescribing, a strategy within antimicrobial stewardship, effectively reduces the development and spread of multi-drug-resistant organisms (MDRO). This approach helps preserve microbial ecology and enhances other antibiotic-sparing methods.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Antimicrobial Stewardship
  • Critical Care Medicine

Background:

  • Multi-drug-resistant organisms (MDRO) pose increasing challenges in various healthcare settings, including general wards, emergency departments, operating rooms, and ICUs.
  • While barrier precautions help limit MDRO transmission, strategies to reduce MDRO development are less defined.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the role of antibiotic heterogeneity in reducing the genesis and dissemination of multi-drug-resistant organisms (MDRO).

Main Methods:

  • A comprehensive review of English-language literature pertinent to antibiotic prescribing practices and MDRO development was conducted.

Main Results:

  • Antibiotic heterogeneity, as part of antimicrobial drug stewardship, can reduce selection pressure for MDRO in ICUs.
  • This practice, particularly in surgical ICUs, preserves microbial ecology, decreases MDRO prevalence and associated infections, and supports antibiotic-sparing tactics like de-escalation.

Conclusions:

  • Heterogeneity in antibiotic prescribing is an effective strategy for preventing the dissemination of multi-drug-resistant organisms (MDRO) pathogens.

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