Analysis of Antibiotic Sensitivity of Microorganisms Isolated from Critically Ill Patients in Empirical Treatment of Infections

Abstract

Introduction: A critically ill patient is a person whose life is threatened by a serious illness and who is treated at the Clinic of Intensive Medicine (CIM). In such clinics, intrahospital infections occur most often, which further complicate the condition of patients, require longer treatment, and increase total costs. These are infections that occur in the hospital and become evident 48 hours after hospitalization. Empirical therapy involves the elimination of the presumed causative agent. In order to facilitate the choice of the right antibiotic, data from the microbiological map is analyzed on an annual basis.

 Aim: The aim of this study was to analyse the sensitivity of microorganisms (MOO) from samples of critically ill patients to empirically administered antibiotics, and to compare with data obtained five years earlier at the CIM.

 Materials and Methods: This retrospective observational study covered a two-year period during which 2,495 patients were admitted and treated at the CIM. The microbiological map was created in Microsoft Excel 2013. The data for the map was collected from the electronic database and microbiological laboratory results from the CIM, and precisely analyzed. The isolation and sensitivity of MOO to antibiotics were presented as percentages in tables and graphs.

 Results: Among 3,817 positive samples collected during the two-year period (most commonly from bronchoalveolar lavage and blood), the predominant MOO were: Acinetobacter spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella spp. among Gram-negative bacteria, and Staphylococcus epidermidis among Gram-positive bacteria. Gram-negative bacteria demonstrated the highest sensitivity to imipenem and colistin, while Gram-positive bacteria were most sensitive to vancomycin. Comparison with earlier data revealed that Acinetobacter spp. remained predominantly resistant, whereas Staphylococcus aureus was the most sensitive bacterium to the tested antibiotics. Only minimal differences were observed compared with data from 2017.

 Conclusion: This kind of research is useful for critical care physicians to more accurately choose antibiotics for treating infections in patients.