Anaesthesia | General ICU Care | Principles of antibiotic use and antimicrobial therapy for common infections

Principles of Antibiotic Use and Antimicrobial Therapy for Common Infections
Session Overview
Description
This session will revise the definition, classification and mechanism of action of commonly used antibiotics. The principles of antibiotic use in a variety of clinical situations will be covered and the problem of antimicrobial resistance to antibiotics will also be discussed.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this session you will be able to:

• Define antibiotics
• Describe how antibiotics may be classified according to their chemical group and mechanism of action
• Explain how to make a rational choice of antibiotic based on its spectrum of antimicrobial activity
• Describe the significance of resistance to antibiotics
• Describe the importance of seeking expert advice from a microbiologist

Infection is an increasingly common problem in hospitalised patients in the UK. There are a variety of reasons for this problem, including the admission and treatment of ever older and sicker patients with multiple comorbidities and significant immunocomprise.

Recent figures from high-income countries calculate the incidence for sepsis to be 437 cases per 100 000 person-years. For severe sepsis the incidence is 270 cases per 100 000 person-years. Hospital mortality is around 17% for sepsis and 26% for severe sepsis [1](read details regarding the reference).

This session covers the definition, classification and mechanism of action of commonly used antibiotics. It presents a rationale for appropriate use of antibiotics and also covers mechanisms of antibiotic resistance.