Recommandations de bon usage des carbapénèmes

Carbapenems are being increasingly used because of the widespread dissemination of antibiotic resistance among Gram-negative bacilli, especially of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases; this increasing use raises the concern of loss of activity for this antimicrobial class following the emergence of carbapenemases. The current guideline from the Anti-infective drugs Committee of the Assistance publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) group emphasizes the careful and limited use of carbapenems, comparing the respective characteristics of the four available molecules, and specifies their indications in clinical hospital practice, with possible alternatives.