Changes in antibiotic use in a general surgery unit over a 5-year period

ABSTRACT

Concerns have been expressed about the overuse of antibiotics in inpatient settings. We compared the pattern of antibiotic use in 2010 in a surgical unit of a university hospital in the Islamic Republic of Iran with similar data from 2006. Defined daily doses per 100 bed-days [DBD] were calculated. Overall use of antibiotics in our surgical unit increased significantly from a mean of 4.9 [SD 5.1] DBD in 2006 to 7.7 [SD 10.3] DBD in 2010. This increase was mainly due to increases in the use of antibiotics for treatment of infections; the prophylactic use of antibiotics did not show a significant increase. There was an increase in the consumption of ceftriaxone, imipenem, cefalotin, metronidazole and vancomycin, a decrease in the use of erythromycin and ceftazidime and no change in the use of ciprofloxacin and clindamycin. Ceftriaxone showed the greatest increase [5.1-fold] and erythromycin the sharpest decrease [8-fold] in use