Stratified annual antibiogram and antimicrobial resistance trend report from a teaching hospital in Hyderabad, India

ABSTRACT Introduction: Antibiograms are a vital tool in healthcare facilities, particularly in guiding empiric antimicrobial treatment. Antibiograms created by aggregating hospital-wide susceptibility data can be misleading and may not be appropriate for different settings in the hospital such as intensive care units, in-patient, and out-patient departments. In this study, we have stratified the antibiogram based on the hospital setting. Materials and Methods: The percentage susceptibility of the most common isolates, stratified by location, to individual antibiotics was calculated based on the CLSI 2022 recommended breakpoints. The breakpoints are interpreted as either susceptible (S) or non-susceptible (NS). Only the isolates that were >30 in number were included in the analysis. Results: A total of 947 first isolates (excluding duplicate isolates) of the common organisms isolated from clinical specimens, including urine, blood, pus, sputum, body fluids, etc., were analysed and described in charts. The most common organisms isolated were Escherichia coli ( n = 365), Klebsiella pneumoniae ( n = 290), Staphylococcus aureus ( n = 135), Pseudomonas aeruginosa ( n = 80), and Acinetobacter baumannii ( n = 77) in that order. Discussion: A higher prevalence of the overall resistance in the critical care setting of the ICU compared to inpatient (IP) and outpatient (OP) settings is concerning. This could be due to the higher antibiotic usage and selection pressure in ICUs, leading to a greater emergence of resistant strains. There is no denying that the AMR is only on the rise and our data goes on to testify the trend. Conclusion: Ongoing education of prescribers on the appropriate use of antibiograms is essential to ensure optimal therapy and outcomes. Multidisciplinary antimicrobial stewardship programs are vital to accomplishing these goals.