Paterson used criteria to describe strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa that are multidrug-resistant or panresistant.
Classes of antibiotics used to treat Pseudomonas aeruginosa:
(1) antipseudomonal cephalosporins
(2) antipseudomonal carbapenems
(3) combinations of beta-lactam with a beta-lactamase inhibitor
(4) antipseudomonal fluoroquinolones
(5) aminoglycosides
A strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa is multidrug resistant if it shows decreased susceptibility to 2 or more of these classes of antibiotics.
Panresistance occurs when the strain shows diminished susceptibility to all of the antibiotics recommended for empirical therapy. For ventilator-associated pneumonia these would be:
(1) cefepime
(2) ceftazidime
(3) imipenem
(4) miropenem
(5) piperacillin-tazobactam
(6) ciprofloxacin
(7) levofloxacin
Additional resistance to colistin or polymyxin may mean that there are no treatment options for the patient.
To read more or access our algorithms and calculators, please log in or register.
