Current Situation Analysis of Carbapenem Usage at Viet Tiep Hospital

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the current status of carbapenem usage at Viet Tiep Hospital. Subjects and methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on 280 inpatient medical records involving prescriptions of carbapenem antibiotics from September 1, 2023, to August 31, 2024, at Viet Tiep Hospital. Results: The study population had a mean age of 69.8 ± 14.4 years, with a predominance of male patients (66.8%). At discharge, 75.3% of patients showed improvement or partial recovery. Microbiological cultures were performed before carbapenem administration in 79.6% of cases (yielding 86 positive cultures, with Escherichia coli being the most commonly isolated pathogen (31.4%). Among the 280 medical records included in the study, carbapenems were primarily used in empirical treatment regimens (82.5%), of which 18.2% were initial empirical therapies. Of the initial empirical regimens, 74.5% were deemed appropriate for carbapenem use. A total of 49.3% of patients received carbapenem infusions over a duration of 3 to less than 4 hours. Among patients who did not require dose adjustment, the appropriateness rate of carbapenem prescriptions was high (87.9%), while in those requiring dose adjustment, appropriateness was lower, 47.4% for imipenem and 39.9% for meropenem, respectively. Conclusion: Viet Tiep Hospital has generally complied with the principles of rational antibiotic carbapenem use, particularly in patient groups not requiring dose adjustment and in extended infusion strategies. However, limitations remain in appropriate dosing for patients requiring dose adjustment, and corrective measures are needed.