Drug monitoring is one strategy of antibiotic stewardship to face antimicrobial resistance. This strategy could have a determinant role in critically ill patients treated with carbapenems to overcome pharmacokinetic variability, reduce the risk of subtherapeutic dosage or toxicity, and reduce the risks inherent to treatment. However, the effectiveness of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is unknown. This paper aims to identify TDM effectiveness in critically ill patients treated with carbapenems. English and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were searched to identify relevant studies evaluating carbapenem TDM. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and comparative cohort studies were selected for inclusion if they compared carbapenem TDM to standard care in adult critically ill or sepsis/septic shock patients. The primary outcome was mortality. Secondary outcomes included morbidity, clinical cure, microbiological eradication, antimicrobial resistance, drug-related side effects, and achievement of target plasma concentrations. Overall, performing carbapenem TDM was not associated with a decrease in mortality. However, it could be evidence for a relationship with clinical cure as well as target attainment. Some studies found favorable outcomes related to clinical and microbiological responses, such as lower procalcitonin levels at the end of the monitored therapy compared to standard care. For the primary and secondary outcomes analyzed, strong evidence was not identified, which could be due to the size, risk of bias, and design of selected studies.

Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) and continuous infusion strategies are effective interventions in clinical practice, but these practices are still largely unknown in Colombia, especially in the critical care setting. This study aims to describe the practices involved in the administration and TDM of β-lactams and vancomycin reported by specialists in critical care in Colombia and to explore the factors that are related to the use of extended infusion. An online nationwide survey was applied to 153 specialists, who were selected randomly. A descriptive, bivariate analysis and a logistic regression model were undertaken. In total, 88.9% of the specialists reported TDM availability and 21.57% reported access to results within 6 h. TDM was available mainly for vancomycin. We found that 85.62% of the intensivists had some type of institutional protocol; however, only 39.22% had a complete and socialized protocol. The odds of preferring extended infusions among those who did not have institutional protocols were 80% lower than those with complete protocols, OR 0.2 (95% CI: 0.06−0.61). The most important perceived barriers to performing continuous infusions and TDM were the lack of training and technologies. This pioneering study in Colombia could impact the quality of care and outcomes of critically ill patients in relation to the threat of antimicrobial resistance.