CELLULITIS: A RETROSPECTIVE DRUG UTILIZATION REVIEW ON ANTIBIOTICS

Pharmacy

Background Antibiotic resistance is a serious issue that has been linked to roughly 1.27 million fatalities globally. Objective This study aims to evaluate the prescription pattern of antibiotics among patients with cellulitis at Gandhi Hospital, Secunderabad. Method It is an observational and retrospective study that was carried out during November 2022 to April 2023. Patient’s data was documented in a predesigned data collection form and was analysed for patient, drug and drug therapy parameters. Results Ceftriaxone (21%) was the most common antibiotic acquired during the treatment. The combination of Amoxicillin and Clavulanate (17%) was also extensively used. Beta lactam antibiotics were the most common category of antibiotics acquired during the treatment of cellulitis. Apart from antibiotics, pantoprazole (57%) was the most commonly used medication. To relieve symptoms of pain and inflammation paracetamol (48%) was the most extensively used medication, followed by diclofenac (22%) and tramadol (33%). Surgical treatment was required in 25% of patients, debridement (13%) being the most common procedure acquired. The mean duration of hospital stay was 10.46 days with a standard deviation of 6 days. Majority of the patient (70%) had no complications post treatment. Only 30% patients were reported with complications, necrotizing fasciitis (11%) and diabetic foot (7%) being the most common. Conclusion Ceftriaxone and the combination of Amoxicillin and Clavulanate were the most commonly prescribed medications. Due to antibiotic resistance a deviation in standard treatment has been observed as per ICMR Guidelines. There is a switch of first generation cephalosporins to third generation cephalosporins. Thus, there is a need to rationalize drug therapy, to preserve efficacy of medication and prevent further resistance.

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