Bactericidal
directly lethal to bacteria at clinically achievable concentrations
Bacteriostatic
Slows bacterial growth, but does not cause death
Broad Spectrum Antimicrobial
Active against a wide variety of microbes (‘throwing a grenade’)
Narrow Spectrum Antimicrobial
Active against only a few species of microbes (‘sniper rifle’)
Empiric Therapy
Educated guess based off evidence (what we base initial therapy off of)
What color is gram positive bacteria?
Dark purple
What color is gram negative bacteria?
Pink
Use of antibiotics promotes the emergence of —– microbes.
Drug-resistent
What is a superinfection?
A NEW infection that appears during the course of treatment for a primary infection
Due to the antibiotic eliminating the inhibitory influence of normal flora
Why would a nurse temporarily postpone administering an antibiotic?
If they have not taken the BLOOD CULTURE yet
Do this always before you treat, or the blood work will not give back accurate results
What instances would warrant prophylactic use of antibiotics?
NERS (antbiotic NERSing care)
- Neutrogena
- Endocarditis
- Recurrent UTIs
- Surgery
Which antibiotic is especially good to use prophylactically for surgery?
cephalosporin
What is Bacterial Endocarditis?
Bacterial inflammation of heart valves
The valves can act like sponges for bacterial growth, especially w/ valvular disease of prosthetic valves
What is Neutropenia?
Abnormally low concentration of neutrophils
Can take an antibiotic every day prophylactically to assist the weakened immune system in fighting off infection
What are some examples of antibiotic misuse?
- Viral infections (don’t respond to Antibiotics, they’re VIRUSES)
- Fever of unknown origin (fever is a sign of more things than just infection)
- Improper dosage
- Treatment w/out adequate bacteriologic information
- Omission of surgical drainage (should always be performed to promote antibacterial effects)
When would you use a broad-spectrum antibiotic?
When the bacteria is of unknown origin
What is the fear w/ broad-spectrum antibiotics?
They can kill the normal flora of the human body
What is the General Approach to Antibiotic Therapy?
1) Suspect an infection
2) Culture the Site
3) Begin Empiric Therapy (based on best guess)
4) Gram Stain
5) Identify the bacteria
6) Change to Definitive Therapy (based on positive ID of bacterial agent)
What should we always do before beginning antibiotic therapy?
CULTURE the site
What percentage of antibiotic use is prophylactic?
30-50%
Why would someone with heart disease take an antibiotic before dental surgery?
Because bacteria from the mouth can enter the bloodstream
Remember, surgery is one of the most common times an antibiotic would be used prophylactically
What is our term for ‘Narrow-Spectrum’ therapy?
Match the drug w/ the bug
