POPPK-ICU
Sepsis, which is the combination of an infection and the body's inflammatory response to infection, is a leading killer in the hospital. Management is based on early recognition, source control, such as draining abscesses, and antibiotics. A one-size-fits-all dosing plan where everyone, fat and thin, big and small, young and old, with one or more organ failures, receives the same dose of antibiotic, is unlikely to treat every patient equally well. In this project, we use leftover blood from lab tests to measure antibiotic levels and match them with the patient's characteristics. From this, we can (a) determine how well present practice performs, (b) devise improved dosing, and (c) seek evidence for adverse drug reactions related to high antibiotic levels in the patient's blood.