Administration of Piperacillin-Tazobactam in Critically Ill Patients

Optimal Administration Strategy

• The Society of Critical Care Medicine recommends extended infusions (3-4 hours) of piperacillin-tazobactam for critically ill patients with severe infections, particularly when treating organisms with higher MICs, as it provides better pharmacodynamic target attainment by maintaining plasma concentrations above the MIC for 70% or more of the dosing interval 1, 2
• Extended infusion of piperacillin-tazobactam is associated with reduced mortality (10.8% vs 16.8%) in meta-analysis of ICU patients 1
• A target Cmin/MIC ratio of 4-6 is recommended for optimal bactericidal activity in severe infections 1, 2