Characterization of consumption and costs of antimicrobials in intensive care units in a Brazilian tertiary hospital.

BACKGROUND

The consumption of antimicrobials and the growing resistance of infectious agents to these drugs are not related only to health issues, but also to economic parameters.

OBJECTIVES

The study objective was to evaluate the consumption of antimicrobials in General and Covid-19 Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and the impact on institutional costs in the largest institute of a tertiary public hospital.

METHODS

This is a quantitative and retrospective study, which analyzed consumption, through the Defined Daily Dose (DDD), and the annual direct cost of antimicrobials in Reais (R$) and Dollars (US$), from January to December 2021.

RESULTS

The total annual consumption (DDD/1000 patient-day) of antimicrobials in the ICUs was 14,368.85. β-Lactams had the highest total annual value, with a DDD/1000 patient-day of 7062.98, being meropenem the antimicrobial that reached the highest consumption (3107.20), followed by vancomycin (2322.6). Total consumption was higher in Covid-19 ICUs than in General ICUs, and the annual direct cost of antimicrobials in ICUs was US$560,680.79.

CONCLUSIONS

The study showed high consumption of broad-spectrum antimicrobials, highlighting the importance of structuring programs to manage the use of antimicrobials, both to reduce antimicrobial consumption and hospital costs, consolidating rational use even in pandemic scenarios.