TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Continuous and Intermittent Infusion Beta-Lactam Antibiotics A1 - WISKIRCHEN, DORA E. A1 - KEEL-JAYAKUMAR, REBECCA A. A1 - NICOLAU, DAVID P. A2 - Cohen, Henry PY - 2015 T2 - Casebook in Clinical Pharmacokinetics and Drug Dosing AB - As a class, beta-lactam antibiotics are a mainstay of therapy and are recommended for nearly all infection types in clinical practice guidelines1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, often as first-line agents. Overall, they are a broad class of antibiotics and consist of penicillins, cephalosporins, monobactams, and carbapenems. Beta-lactams exhibit bactericidal activity by binding to penicillin-binding proteins and, ultimately, inhibiting cell wall synthesis. Since the discovery of penicillin, it has been known that prolonging the infusion duration (originally done as a continuous infusion) or more frequent dosing resulted in improved outcomes7 and 8; however, the utilization of prolonged or continuous infusion has remained a matter of debate and much research has been undertaken to understand and justify these dosing strategies. SN - PB - McGraw-Hill Education CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/28 UR - accesspharmacy.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1112256765 ER -