Antimicrobial stewardship in the immunocompromised patient

Immunocompromised patients are at a high risk of infection with resistant organisms due to their increased exposure to hospital environments, including the intensive care unit, their frequent need for invasive procedures, and increased antimicrobial use. To limit this growing trend, and due to the paucity of development of new antimicrobial agents with novel mechanisms of action, the judicious use of the agents currently available should be encouraged. A broad spectrum of possible infections combined with the diagnostic uncertainty, clinical condition, and the specialist teams’ perceptions make antimicrobial stewardship very difficult. However, evidence presented in this chapter illustrates how stewardship in the immunocompromised host may be achieved.