Abstract

ANTIMICROBIAL PRESCRIBING PATTERNS IN COMPLICATED CELLULITIS: A PROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL STUDY FROM A TERTIARY CARE TEACHING HOSPITAL IN KARNATAKA, INDIA

Gajanan S. Kumbar, Seema Hirakannavar*, Ramkumar Muddapur, Mallappa Shalavadi, Raghavendra S. Hegde

Abstract

Objectives: To characterise the spectrum, frequency and route of antimicrobial agents prescribed for inpatients with cellulitis and its complications at a tertiary care teaching hospital; to document culture-identified multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogen profiles; to quantify antimicrobial consumption using defined daily dose (DDD) methodology; and to identify clinical predictors of prolonged hospitalisation and intravenous antimicrobial use. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted in the Department of Surgery, S.N.M.C. & H.S.K. Hospital and Research Centre, Bagalkot, Karnataka, India, over six months (February to August 2025). Forty consecutive inpatients with cellulitis and its complications were enrolled. Descriptive statistics, chi-square test and Fisher exact test were applied (p

Keywords: antimicrobial prescribing; cellulitis; antimicrobial stewardship; multidrug resistance; tigecycline; defined daily dose; pharmacoepidemiology; pharmacy practice; necrotising fasciitis.