RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Trends in antimicrobial susceptibility patterns in King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia JF Saudi Medical Journal JO Saudi Med J FD Prince Sultan Military Medical City SP 252 OP 259 DO 10.15537/smj.2019.3.23947 VO 40 IS 3 A1 Farah, Sara M. A1 Alshehri, Mohammed A. A1 Alfawaz, Tariq S. A1 Alasmeri, Faisal A. A1 Alageel, Abdulaziz A. A1 Alshahrani, Dayel A. YR 2019 UL http://smj.org.sa/content/40/3/252.abstract AB Objectives: To describe and interpret local antibiograms from a single tertiary care center to monitor the trends of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) patterns and establish baseline data for further surveillance.Methods: We performed a retrospective descriptive review of antibiograms data between January 2010 and December 2015 from King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.Results: A total of 51,491 isolates were identified, and most were gram-negative (76.2%). Escherichia coli was the most frequently isolated organism (36.8%), followed by Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (28.4%) and Staphylococcus aureus (27.5%). The detection of antibiotic-resistant organisms, especially extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli (31%-41%), increased over time. The sensitivity of Streptococcus pneumoniae to penicillin improved from 66% to 100% (p<0.001). Gram-negative isolates had excellent overall susceptibility to amikacin, variable susceptibility to piperacillin-tazobactam and carbapenems, and declining susceptibility to ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin, and cefepime.Conclusion: Streptococcus pneumoniae susceptibility to penicillin significantly improved over time, which might be because of the introduction of the pneumococcal vaccine. Conversely, the upward trend in resistant gram-negative organisms is worrisome and warrants the implementation of antimicrobial stewardship programs.