Over the past decade, patterns of resistance to antimicrobial agents have changed
dramatically,
52
especially in critical care units (CCUs).
15
,
21
,
46
,
99
Among the various explanations debated, the extensive use of antibiotics together
with a remarkable slowdown in the discovery and development of new antibiotics seems
most likely. The increased susceptibility to infection of patients hospitalized in
the CCU because of their advanced age and/or other underlying conditions, the need
for invasive procedures, the difficult infections treated in CCUs (severe pneumonias,
septic shock), the possibility of multiple infections, and the lax recommendations
dealing with antibiotic use account for the fact that CCUs consume a large amount
of antibiotics and can be considered a reservoir of multiresistant strains in a hospital.To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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© 1998 W. B. Saunders Company. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
