Changing the way antibiotics are given to adult patients with sepsis will save thousands of lives a year globally, according to research by The University of Queensland and The George Institute for Global Health. A clinical trial and systematic review have shown that intravenously administering commonly used penicillin-like antibiotics via continuous infusion – instead of multiple short infusions – cures infections and saves lives. Professor Jason Roberts , Director of UQ's Centre for Clinical Research (UQCCR) and Metro North Health's Herston Infectious Diseases Institute, said the clinical trial of more than 7000 patients tested findings from laboratory studies to deliver the best drug concentration for the bacteria causing the infection.
We found by delivering these antibiotic doses as a continuous infusion we can maintain the concentration of the antibiotic in a patient's blood and tissue, and kill bacteria at a greater rate. This simple intervention uses commonly available antibiotics, so even small hospitals in third-world countries can implement the dosing change almost as easily as well-resourced hospitals in developed countries." Professor Jason Roberts, Director of UQ's Centre for Clinical Research (UQCCR) and Metro North Health's Herston Infectious Diseases Institute Associate Professor Joel Dulhunty, UQ researcher and Director of Research and Implementation at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, said the international trial BLING ( Beta-Lactam Infusion Gro.
