Do you need to have labs done for anti-biotic therapy?

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  1. Do you need baseline labs before starting anti-biotic therapy?

    • 2
      Yes
    • 2
      No

4 members have participated

Hey all, I got a tricky question on my mind today...

If labs/baselines such as hepatic/renal functions are needed before initiating drug therapy; would this as well apply before initiating anti-biotic therapy?

From what I learn from my clinical instructor is to have all labs readily available to see if anti-biotic therapy has caused any shift of baseline and to have a complete picture of a patient, prior to drug therapy.

Would knowing a patients baseline of labs be important to start anti-biotics, like all other drugs. (all other labs besides C&S)

-Thanks :bookworm:

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PACU.

It depends on what the patient is being treated for and their health history. For example, I have a baby who is septic, I see on a follow up basic chemistry panel that the creatinine is rising and his urine output is on the lower side. I would report this to the doctor and see if they want to change from Gentamicin to Cefataxime because Gent is cleared thru the kidneys.

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

Depends on the drug. Some heavy duty antibiotics are hard on the liver or kidneys. In clinical practice it's protocol to draw renal or hepatic function labs prior to starting one of these drugs to know if there has been an adverse reaction or if the risks of the drug outweigh the benefits.

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Depends on the drug. Some heavy duty antibiotics are hard on the liver or kidneys. In clinical practice it's protocol to draw renal or hepatic function labs prior to starting one of these drugs to know if there has been an adverse reaction or if the risks of the drug outweigh the benefits.

How about when you go to the doctor, when you're sick, and they Rx antibiotics, are blood draws required before starting the meds?

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Specializes in Emergency, Telemetry, Transplant.
How about when you go to the doctor, when you're sick, and they Rx antibiotics, are blood draws required before starting the meds?

Of course not, but it depends on the ABX...although we are starting to tread pretty close to medical advice here...

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Specializes in critical care.

If the antibiotic is nephro- or hepatotoxic, then yes. You may also want to get a WBC count to monitor whether it is coming down after therapy is initiated.

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.
How about when you go to the doctor, when you're sick, and they Rx antibiotics, are blood draws required before starting the meds?

Only if a high risk drug, rarely prescribed for typical outpatient infections in an otherwise healthy individual.

There are no absolutes

1
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Specializes in ICU.

You do not need labs for amoxicillin or say a zpack. Those are your basic antibiotics to take care of small issues. As a previous poster mentioned if the patient had impaired renal or hepatic function you would get a baseline. But for the general healthy person, I have never had labs drawn. I was given Vanco when I had very bad pneumonia. What we did learn is I'm quite allergic to it. I got redman syndrome and anaphylaxis. Some heavy duty antibiotics do hurt the liver and kidneys, but the person is so sick that they will die without it. In that case, the benefits far outweigh the risks. I'm sure for those people they already have drawn labs because they are in the hospital.

They do not draw them though each time you are given an antibiotic. That would be quite costly.

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