registrieren | anmelden | FAQ      [?] 
CiteULike is a free online bibliography manager. Register and you can start organising your references online.
Recent | Unread | Search | Authors | Tags | Export

Outcomes in lower respiratory tract infections and the impact of antimicrobial drug resistance.

by: JP Metlay, DE Singer
Clin Microbiol Infect, Vol. 8 Suppl 2 (2002), pp. 1-11.


View FullText article


X Reviews [Write a review of this article]

There are no reviews of this article

X Find related articles from these CiteULike users

X Find related articles with these CiteULike tags

X Abstract

Numerous published studies have documented the rapid rise in antimicrobial drug resistance among common respiratory pathogens, particularly Streptococcus pneumoniae. Yet, surprisingly few studies have evaluated the impact of these in vitro findings on clinical outcomes. Outcomes research is the measurement of the impact of illness and the effect of treatment on clinically relevant end-points. Studies of patients with community-acquired pneumonia have established certain expected rates of outcomes, including mortality, clinical complications, and time to resolution of symptoms. Recent studies have identified specific processes of care and treatment choices that have an impact upon these outcomes. However, there are no well-controlled studies that provide definitive estimates of the magnitude of the impact of antimicrobial therapy on these outcomes for patients with community-acquired pneumonia or other respiratory tract infections, such as acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis. Most studies of the impact of drug resistance on outcomes for patients with respiratory tract infections have focused on the impact of beta-lactam drug resistance on outcomes for patients with community-acquired pneumococcal pneumonia. In general, these studies have demonstrated that outcomes are not affected by current levels of drug resistance, but most studies are hampered by small sample size, inability to control adequately for severity of illness and concordance of therapy, and inclusion of few subjects with high-level drug resistance. Additional studies are urgently needed to assess better whether the current empiric treatment guidelines are adequate or will need to be adjusted as patterns of resistance continue to evolve.


X BibTeX record

X RIS record



RIS BibTeX
CiteULike organises scholarly (or academic) papers or literature and provides bibliographic (which means it makes bibliographies) for universities and higher education establishments. It helps undergraduates and postgraduates. People studying for PhDs or in postdoctoral (postdoc) positions. The service is similar in scope to EndNote or RefWorks or any other reference manager like BibTeX, but it is a social bookmarking service for scientists and humanities researchers.