Appropriate use of cefoperazone-sulbactam in clinical practice : the need of the hour: an observational drug use evaluation study from tertiary care hospital in south India.

Objectives: To study the utilization pattern and appropriateness of cefoperazone-sulbactam antibiotic FDC in general medicine, pulmonology and nephrology departments of the hospital along with finding out the most common department and indication for which cefoperazone-sulbactam is mostly prescribed. Materials and Methods: A prospective observational study was carried out for a period of one year among 156 inpatients of different departments in a tertiary care hospital in Kerala. Patients were enrolled based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. All patients were analyzed to study the utilization pattern and appropriateness of cefoperazone-sulbactam FDC. Data were analyzed using appropriate statistical tools. Results: From the total of 156 cases, majority were males. Cefoperazone-sulbactam was prescribed more in general medicine, followed by nephrology. Urinary tract infection, followed by respiratory tract infection were the most common indications for which cefoperazone-sulbactam prescribed. Majority of prescription with cefoperazone-sulbactam was appropriate, among which general medicine department comprising highest proportion. Conclusion: Making the culture and sensitivity reports readily available and regular monitoring of its usage could improve the compliance. More studies need to be undertaken nationally to investigate the appropriateness of cefoperazone-sulbactam use.