Lay summary
Life-threatening organ dysfunction due to infection, is a major cause of mortality worldwide with an estimated 24 million cases and 6 million deaths each year. In New Zealand mortality is falling, however this is offset by a huge increase in the incidence of the condition. One of the key interventions in the treatment of infection is the provision of an adequate dose of appropriate antibiotic, in particular β-lactam antibiotics, which are the commonest antibiotics used for serious infections. The clinical effectiveness of β-lactam antibiotics is directly correlated with the proportion of time that the blood concentration remains above the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and data suggests that continuous infusions are best able to maintain concentrations consistently greater than MIC.
This large international randomised controlled trial will investigate if continuous infusions of antibiotics reduce the risk of death compared to intermittent dosing in critically ill patients with infections in intensive care.