RT Book, Section A1 Benenson, Shmuel A2 DeCherney, Alan H. A2 Nathan, Lauren A2 Laufer, Neri A2 Roman, Ashley S. SR Print(0) ID 56974017 T1 Chapter 44. Antimicrobial Chemotherapy T2 CURRENT Diagnosis & Treatment: Obstetrics & Gynecology, 11e YR 2013 FD 2013 PB The McGraw-Hill Companies PP New York, NY SN 978-0-07-163856-2 LK accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=56974017 RD 2024/10/16 AB Microbial infection has always been a grave threat to obstetric and gynecologic patients. Developments in antimicrobial therapy, however, have led to decreases in puerperal and postoperative morbidity and perinatal mortality. Indeed antibiotic development is one of the most important advances in medicine in the 20th century. Empiric antibiotics for bacterial infections improve clinical symptoms and outcome. As a consequence, clinicians prescribe antibiotics very frequently and sometimes even when it is not necessary. This approach has led to huge overuse of antibiotics, which in turn has led to the appearance of multidrug-resistant bacteria. Clinicians need to adopt an approach where effective antibiotic treatment is given to those who have bacterial infections, while at the same time antibiotic use is limited when not indicated.