Effectiveness of Short-Course Versus Standard Antibiotic Therapy in ICU Patients

You may not be if

• Subjects who meet all of the following criteria are eligible for enrollment into the study:
• 1. Subject, or legal representative, has given written informed consent.
• 2. Subject has developed a new pulmonary infiltrate (confirmed by radiology), after ICU admission.
• 3. Subject has been hospitalized at least 3 days.
• 4. CPIS less than or equal to 6.
• 5. 18 years of age or older.
• Subjects who meet any of the following criteria are ineligible for participation in the study:
• 1. Burn patients.
• 2. Cystic fibrosis patients.
• 3. Bone marrow or solid organ transplant patients.
• 4. Neutropenia from any cause (absolute neutrophil count (ANC) \< 500), or likely to become neutropenic within 7 days.
• 5. Known or suspected Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection (HIV test is not required).
• 6. Suspected or proven extrapulmonary infection site requiring antibiotic therapy.
• 7. History of anaphylaxis to penicillin or cephalosporins.
• 8. History of anaphylaxis to meropenem (any component of the formulation), or other carbapenems (e.g., imipenem).
• 9. On systemic antibiotics for more than 7 consecutive days during the previous 30 days.
• 10. Received more than two doses of systemic antibiotics within the past 24 hours (other than those used for surgical prophylaxis).
• 11. Pregnant or lactating. (Women of childbearing potential must have a negative serum or urine pregnancy test within the 7 days prior to the first dose of antibiotics.)
• 12. On mechanical ventilation for \> 7 consecutive days during the previous 30 days.
• 13. Unlikely to survive past Day 7 of the study (as determined by the primary care team).
• 14. Previous enrollment in this study.