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Updated: Dec 23, 2025

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

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[Side effects of selected antibiotics, not to be missed !]

Antonios Kritikos1, Marie-Céline Zanella2, Benedikt Huttner2,3

  • 1Service des maladies infectieuses, CHUV, 1011 Lausanne.

Revue Medicale Suisse
|April 18, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Common antibiotics can cause serious side effects like hematological toxicity, neurotoxicity, pulmonary toxicity, and aortic aneurysm risk. Careful patient assessment is crucial for safe antibiotic use in outpatients.

Area of Science:

  • Pharmacology
  • Clinical Medicine
  • Drug Safety

Background:

  • Antibiotics are widely prescribed for outpatient infections.
  • Antibiotic side effects contribute to significant healthcare utilization and costs.
  • Many adverse drug events (ADEs) from outpatient antibiotic use are often overlooked.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight frequently overlooked side effects of commonly prescribed outpatient antibiotics.
  • To emphasize the importance of risk-benefit assessment for individual patients.
  • To inform clinicians about potential serious adverse events associated with specific antibiotics.

Main Methods:

  • Review of literature on adverse events associated with selected outpatient antibiotics.
  • Focus on specific drug classes including linezolid, metronidazole, nitrofurantoin, and fluoroquinolones.
  • Discussion of clinical implications and management considerations.

Main Results:

  • Linezolid is associated with hematological toxicity.
  • Metronidazole can cause neurotoxicity.
  • Nitrofurantoin carries a risk of pulmonary toxicity.
  • Fluoroquinolones may increase the risk of aortic aneurysm.

Conclusions:

  • Selected outpatient antibiotics possess serious potential adverse effects.
  • Individualized risk-benefit assessment is essential before prescribing these agents.
  • Awareness of these overlooked toxicities is critical for patient safety and appropriate antibiotic stewardship.

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