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Colistin: An Old Antibiotic as a Last, Invaluable Resort

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Annual Update in Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine 2013

Part of the book series: Annual Update in Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine ((AUICEM))

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Abstract

The last few years have been characterized by the emergence of certain Gramnegative bacteria, especially Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae, which are resistant to almost all currently available antibiotics, except colistin. This fact has prompted a resurgence of interest in colistin, an ‘old’ antibiotic introduced in 1959 with notable in vitro activity against P. aeruginosa [1], which was abandoned in the 1970s after the introduction of the aminoglycosides. Colistin is mainly employed in critically ill patients and in individuals with cystic fibrosis. This chapter focuses predominantly on the use of colistin in critically ill patients.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Direzione Scientifica, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico S. Matteo, Pavia, Italy

    R. Imberti

  2. Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacokinetics, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico S. Matteo, Pavia, Italy

    M. Regazzi

  3. Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico S. Matteo, Pavia, Italy

    G. A. Iotti

Authors
  1. R. Imberti
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  2. M. Regazzi
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  3. G. A. Iotti
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to R. Imberti .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Erasme Hospital, Université libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium

    Jean-Louis Vincent Prof.

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Imberti, R., Regazzi, M., Iotti, G.A. (2013). Colistin: An Old Antibiotic as a Last, Invaluable Resort. In: Vincent, JL. (eds) Annual Update in Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine 2013. Annual Update in Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35109-9_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35109-9_8

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-35108-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-35109-9

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