ABSTRACT

Aim: To correlate the consumption of antimicrobial chemotherapeutic agents with death figures.

Research design: Epidemiological surveillance.

Population: All antimicrobial chemotherapeutic agents prescribed to treat infectious diseases in a given hospital were registered. Patients were followed since admission until discharge or fatal outcome at the hospital.

Results: Charts from 4968 patients, whose admissions totaled 6043 occasions, were analyzed. From a total of 2305 admissions in which patients were prescribed antimicrobial chemotherapeutic agents, in 2206 (95,7%) of the occasions patients survived, whereas in 99 occasions (4,29%) they died. Those who survived used in average 1,55 (SD 1,09) antimicrobial chemotherapeutic agents, while those who died used in average 2,78 (SD 2,44) antimicrobial chemotherapeutic agents (p<0.001). The observed correlation was linear between the number of antimicrobial chemotherapeutic agents prescribed and mortality. Two coefficients endorsed the observed correlation: a correlation coefficient of 0.869 (p<0.001) and a Pearson of 0.755. The consumption of antimicrobial chemotherapeutic displayed a linear and positive Spearman’s correlation of 0.905 (p=0.002). The correlations between age and mortality yelled a Sperman’s r of 0.936 (p<0.00).

Conclusion: The quantity of prescribed antimicrobial chemotherapeutic was positively correlated with death. The development of a concept of epidemiological sufficiency of treatment is recommend by the authors. This concept, which considers cure and death as possible outcomes, would constitute a index of rational use of antimicrobial chemotherapeutic agents. It is believed that this strategy might help to curb the bacterial resistance to antimicrobial chemotherapeutic agents as well as to reduce dispensable expenditures with these pharmacological tools.

Key Words: Infectious Disease Treatment Strategy, Epidemiology, Antimicrobial Therapy, Antimicrobial Chemotherapeutic Agents, Antifungal Agents, Antiviral Agents, Hospital, Mortality.