Characterization of consumption and costs of antimicrobials in intensive care units in a Brazilian tertiary hospital

BACKGROUND: The consumption of antimicrobials and the growing resistance of infectious agents to these drugs are not related only to health issues, but also to economic parameters. OBJECTIVES: The study objective was to evaluate the consumption of antimicrobials in General and Covid-19 Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and the impact on institutional costs in the largest institute of a tertiary public hospital. METHODS: This is a quantitative and retrospective study, which analyzed consumption, through the Defined Daily Dose (DDD), and the annual direct cost of antimicrobials in Reais (R$) and Dollars (US$), from January to December 2021. RESULTS: The total annual consumption (DDD/1000 patient-day) of antimicrobials in the ICUs was 14,368.85. β-Lactams had the highest total annual value, with a DDD/1000 patient-day of 7062.98, being meropenem the antimicrobial that reached the highest consumption (3107.20), followed by vancomycin (2322.6). Total consumption was higher in Covid-19 ICUs than in General ICUs, and the annual direct cost of antimicrobials in ICUs was US$560,680.79. CONCLUSIONS: The study showed high consumption of broad-spectrum antimicrobials, highlighting the importance of structuring programs to manage the use of antimicrobials, both to reduce antimicrobial consumption and hospital costs, consolidating rational use even in pandemic scenarios.