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How to Use Antibiotics in Critically Ill Patients with Sepsis and Septic Shock

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Infections in Surgery

Part of the book series: Hot Topics in Acute Care Surgery and Trauma ((HTACST))

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Abstract

Antimicrobials along with source control are at the center of therapy for the septic patient at risk for septic shock. Not only is early and appropriate coverage key to optimizing outcomes, but aggressive and continual reassessment for de-escalation therapy is equally important to avoid the long-term deleterious impact of excessive and unnecessary antimicrobial therapy. This chapter uses the current definition of sepsis and septic shock to guide the discussion as it is this specific patient population to which the surviving sepsis guidelines apply. Further discussion includes options to assist with antimicrobial selection and duration including the use of cultures, biomarkers, and antibiograms. Finally the role of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics to assist with dosing regimens for the individual medications is included.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Envision Healthcare, Nashville, TN, USA

    Morgan Collom & Therese M. Duane

  2. Medical city Plano, Plano, TX, USA

    Morgan Collom

  3. Texas Health Resources Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX, USA

    Therese M. Duane

Authors
  1. Morgan Collom
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  2. Therese M. Duane
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Macerata Hospital, Macerata, Italy

    Massimo Sartelli

  2. Comparative Effectiveness and Clinical Outcomes Research Center - CECORC, Riverside University Health System Medical Center, Moreno Valley, CA, USA

    Raul Coimbra

  3. Department of infectious diseases, Ospedale di Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy

    Leonardo Pagani

  4. Department of Surgery, Anadolu Medical Centre, Kocaeli, Turkey

    Kemal Rasa

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Collom, M., Duane, T.M. (2021). How to Use Antibiotics in Critically Ill Patients with Sepsis and Septic Shock. In: Sartelli, M., Coimbra, R., Pagani, L., Rasa, K. (eds) Infections in Surgery. Hot Topics in Acute Care Surgery and Trauma. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-62116-2_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-62116-2_16

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-62115-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-62116-2

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