Optimizing Empirical Antibiotic Therapy in Critical Care: Innovations in Diagnostics, Digitalization, and Stewardship
A special issue of Antibiotics (ISSN 2079-6382). This special issue belongs to the section "Antibiotic Therapy in Infectious Diseases".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 38
Special Issue Editors
Interests: critical care medicine; sepsis and septic shock; acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS); healthcare-associated infections (HAIs); artificial nutrition in critically ill patients
Interests: sepsis; antimicrobial resistance and infection control; antimicrobial stewardship; therapeutic drug monitoring; PK/PD of antimicrobial agents; critical care medicine
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
In the context of increasing antimicrobial resistance and the complex pathophysiology of critical illness, early and accurate initiation of empirical antibiotic therapy is essential for improving patient outcomes. This Special Issue welcomes contributions exploring the following:
- Novel diagnostic approaches, including rapid molecular techniques, microbiome profiling, and biomarker-based tools for pathogen identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing.
- Digitalization and decision-support systems for real-time optimization of antibiotic regimens, integration of electronic health records, and AI-assisted treatment selection.
- Innovative therapeutic strategies, encompassing new antibiotics, combination therapies, and targeted interventions to minimize the development of resistance.
- Antimicrobial stewardship programs specifically designed for intensive care settings, with a focus on reducing polypharmacy, avoiding unnecessary broad-spectrum coverage, and personalizing treatment duration.
- Translational and clinical studies that assess the impact of these innovations on patient survival, infection control, and healthcare resource utilization.
Original research articles, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and expert perspectives are encouraged. Multidisciplinary contributions from intensivists, infectious disease specialists, microbiologists, pharmacologists, and health informatics experts are especially welcome.
Dr. Mircea Stoian
Dr. Daniela C. Pasero
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Antibiotics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- critical care
- intensive care units
- empirical antibiotic therapy
- antimicrobial stewardship
- rapid molecular diagnostics
- digital health
- artificial intelligence
- antimicrobial resistance
- targeted therapy
- polypharmacy reduction
- novel antibiotics
- sepsis management
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