The application of pharmacodynamicsin the optimization of antibiotic therapy (PDF)

Pharmacodynamics, the relationship between drug exposure and physiologic effect, helps to differentiate the killing activity of antibiotic classes through various markers of outcome. Antibiotics are characterized by time-dependent or concentration-dependent bacterial killing activity. With antibiotic therapy, pharmacodynamics consists of an intricate relationship between drug exposure, bacterial susceptibility, and the antimicrobial effect of the drug. Due to increasing reports of resistance, many investigators and healthcare institutions are focused on the optimal use of antibiotic therapy. Studies on antimicrobial pharmacodynamics have been increasing in the hope of defining and establishing break points that are associated with various outcome markers to optimize therapy, but the application of these studies in clinical practice is still limited. Incorporating pharmacodynamics into the study of antibiotic therapy can enhance the design of rational and optimal dosing regimens and improve the understanding of the emergence of resistance.