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Updated: Apr 18, 2026

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

Published on: August 30, 2018

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Special considerations of antibiotic prescription in the geriatric population

C L Beckett1, S Harbarth2, B Huttner2

  • 1Infectious Diseases Department, Eastern Health, Victoria, Australia.

Clinical Microbiology and Infection : the Official Publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
|February 1, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Elderly individuals face increased infection risk and atypical symptoms, complicating diagnosis and treatment. Infectious diseases consultants are crucial for optimizing care and infection control in geriatric settings.

Area of Science:

  • Geriatric Medicine
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Aging increases susceptibility to infections and leads to atypical presentations.
  • Geriatric populations experience significant diagnostic uncertainty in infectious diseases.
  • Geriatric facilities harbor multidrug-resistant organisms and nosocomial pathogens.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To outline diagnostic and management challenges of infectious diseases in the elderly.
  • To discuss the importance of judicious antibiotic use in geriatric patients.
  • To demonstrate the value of infectious diseases consultants in geriatric care.

Main Methods:

  • Review of current literature on infectious diseases in the elderly.
  • Analysis of challenges in diagnosis and management.
  • Discussion of antibiotic stewardship principles.

Main Results:

  • Infections in the elderly present atypically, increasing diagnostic difficulty.
  • Optimizing outcomes while preventing antibiotic overuse requires specialized expertise.
  • Infectious diseases consultants are vital for infection control in geriatric facilities.

Conclusions:

  • Infectious diseases consultants are essential for managing infections in the elderly.
  • Appropriate antibiotic use is critical to combat resistance and improve patient outcomes.
  • Specialized infectious diseases consultation enhances care in geriatric settings.
Keywords:
Antibiotic stewardshipantimicrobialselderlygeriatricsinfectious diseasesprudent antibiotic use

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