TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Chapter 125. General Principles of Antimicrobial Selection A1 - Bolon, Maureen A1 - Weber, Stephen G. A2 - Halter, Jeffrey B. A2 - Ouslander, Joseph G. A2 - Tinetti, Mary E. A2 - Studenski, Stephanie A2 - High, Kevin P. A2 - Asthana, Sanjay PY - 2009 T2 - Hazzard's Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, 6e AB - When treating infection in older patients, selection of an antimicrobial regimen often precedes the identification of the causative pathogen and may sometimes be necessary even before the specific site of infection has been established. In these cases, the choice of therapy is typically based on the clinician's estimation of the most likely causative organism as well as properties of the available antimicrobial agents. This method of antimicrobial selection is described as “empiric,” as opposed to “pathogen-directed,” in which the causative organism has already been determined by the results of clinical cultures and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. This chapter addresses the unique challenges of selecting optimal empiric antimicrobial therapy for older patients with known or suspected infection. SN - PB - The McGraw-Hill Companies CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2022/05/26 UR - accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=5136958 ER -