Directions of Optimizing Antibiotic Therapy of Elderly Patients with Coronavirus Disease
Abstract
The course of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in elderly patients is often accompanied by the development of pneumonia with the addition of a secondary bacterial infection, which requires the additional use of antibacterial agents.
Objective — to evaluate risks and define approaches for optimising antibacterial therapy in elderly patients with COVID-19 who required hospitalization due to pneumonia and existing respiratory failure.
Materials and methods. A retrospective analysis of the medical records of 29 patients aged 70 to 94 years (mean age (79.7 ± 7.5) years) who were hospitalised in the department of infectious diseases with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 and community-acquired viral-bacterial pneumonia was conducted. All patients had comorbid cardiovascular pathology, and 8 patients had type 2 diabetes mellitus. The risks of antibacterial use were assessed using the FORTA (Fit for The Aged) classification, as well as the AWaRe classification adapted by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.
Results and discussion. A high frequency (41.4 %) of fluoroquinolone antibiotic use was revealed among elderly patients. According to the FORTA classification, these include drugs from group C (moxifloxacin) or D (ciprofloxacin), which is associated with reduced safety of pharmacotherapy, especially in the context of polypharmacy. At the same time, none of the patients received safer antibacterial agents from group A. Only one Access group drug was prescribed according to the…
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