A large, multi-year study of antibiotic use in Veterans Health Administration's acute-care facilities demonstrated dramatically increased use of carbapenems, a powerful class of antibiotics that are often considered the last treatment option for severe infections with multi-drug resistant pathogens, according to a SHEA news release.
Using barcode medication administration data for antibiotics administered in 110 VA facilities from 2005-2009, researchers identified an increasing trend in the use of broad spectrum antibiotics. In the study's five-year period, researchers noted striking increases in the use of carbapenems (102 percent increase), intravenous vancomycin (79 percent increase) and combinations of penicillin with beta-lactamase-inhibitors (41 percent increase). Fluoroquinolones were the most frequently used drugs across facilities, accounting for 20 percent of all antibiotic use.
The increased carbapenem use, which has also been described in non-VA facilities in the U.S., is alarming because carbapenem-resistant bacteria are becoming more common. Overuse of these drugs could weaken their efficacy against these and other emerging infections.
Read the SHEA news release about increased use of carbapenem.
Read other coverage about antibiotics:
- California Department of Health Official Encourage Hospitals to Adopt Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs
- CHRT Reports High Rates of Inappropriate Antibiotic Use
- Study: Cleaning Wound More Important Than Antibiotic Choice for Skin Infection
Using barcode medication administration data for antibiotics administered in 110 VA facilities from 2005-2009, researchers identified an increasing trend in the use of broad spectrum antibiotics. In the study's five-year period, researchers noted striking increases in the use of carbapenems (102 percent increase), intravenous vancomycin (79 percent increase) and combinations of penicillin with beta-lactamase-inhibitors (41 percent increase). Fluoroquinolones were the most frequently used drugs across facilities, accounting for 20 percent of all antibiotic use.
The increased carbapenem use, which has also been described in non-VA facilities in the U.S., is alarming because carbapenem-resistant bacteria are becoming more common. Overuse of these drugs could weaken their efficacy against these and other emerging infections.
Read the SHEA news release about increased use of carbapenem.
Read other coverage about antibiotics:
- California Department of Health Official Encourage Hospitals to Adopt Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs
- CHRT Reports High Rates of Inappropriate Antibiotic Use
- Study: Cleaning Wound More Important Than Antibiotic Choice for Skin Infection
