PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Awad Al-Omari
AU  - Masood Mohammed
AU  - Waleed Alhazzani
AU  - Hasan M. Al-Dorzi
AU  - Mohammed S. Belal
AU  - Ali O. Albshabshe
AU  - Maha F. Al-Subaie
AU  - Yaseen M. Arabi
TI  - Treatment of ventilator-associated pneumonia and ventilator-associated tracheobronchitis in the intensive care unit
AID  - 10.15537/smj.2015.12.12345
DP  - 2015 Dec 01
TA  - Saudi Medical Journal
PG  - 1453--1462
VI  - 36
IP  - 12
4099  - http://smj.org.sa/content/36/12/1453.short
4100  - http://smj.org.sa/content/36/12/1453.full
SO  - Saudi Med J2015 Dec 01; 36
AB  - Objectives: To assess current practices of different healthcare providers for treating extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Acinetobacter baumannii (AB) infections in tertiary-care centers in Saudi Arabia.Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed in tertiary-care centers of Saudi Arabia between March and June 2014. A questionnaire consisting of 3 parts (respondent characteristics; case scenarios on ventilator-associated pneumonia [VAP] and tracheobronchitis [VAT], and antibiotic choices in each scenario) was developed and sent electronically to participants in 34 centers across Saudi Arabia.Results: One-hundred and eighty-three respondents completed the survey. Most of the respondents (54.6%) preferred to use colistin-based combination therapy to treat VAP caused by XDR AB, and 62.8% chose to continue treatment for 2 weeks. Most of the participants (80%) chose to treat VAT caused by XDR AB with intravenous antibiotics. A significant percentage of intensive care unit (ICU) fellows (41.3%) and clinical pharmacists (35%) opted for 2 million units (mu) of colistin every 8 hours without a loading dose, whereas 60% of infectious disease consultants, 45.8% of ICU consultants, and 44.4% of infectious disease fellows preferred a 9 mu loading dose followed by 9 mu daily in divided doses. The responses for the scenarios were different among healthcare providers (p<0.0001).Conclusion: Most of the respondents in our survey preferred to use colistin-based combination therapy and intravenous antibiotics to treat VAP and VAT caused by XDR AB. However, colistin dose and duration varied among the healthcare providers.