The French Society of Pharmacology and Therapeutics (SFPT) and the French Society of Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine (SFAR) have released guidelines on the optimization of beta-lactam treatment in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. The two groups strongly recommend the use of personalized dosing, continuous or prolonged infusion and therapeutic drug monitoring when administering beta-lactam antibiotics (βLA) in critically ill patients. βLA are the most commonly used antibiotics in the ICU. ICU patients present many pathophysiological features that cause pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) specificity, leading to the risk of under-dosage. The new guideline, published in the journal Critical Care, highlights the need for personalized medicine when using βLA in the ICU setting. The basic rules of general good medical practice were considered as known and excluded from the scope of these guidelines recommendations. The guidance document is intended for use by all medical professionals working in intensive care units and pharmacology laboratories.

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