الفهرس 
IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Carbapenems are the antibiotics of choice for the treatment of serious nosocomial infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria which may endanger the lives of critically ill patients.
Amongst the commonly reported nosocomial infections in the ICUs, high rates were observed for ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).
However, the efficacy of carbapenem therapy is increasingly challenged worldwide by antimicrobial resistance.
Like the situation in other hospital settings, emergence of carbapenem resistance among Gram-negative bacteria is increasing in the intensive care units of Alexandria University hospitals leading to increased morbidity and mortality.
This threatens the clinical utility of carbapenems and raises major health care concerns.
Therefore, research efforts are needed to improve the therapeutic outcomes of carbapenem antibiotics in Alexandria University hospitals mainly by controlling antimicrobial resistance and enhancing the efficacy of their dosage regimens.
The objective of the thesis was to contribute to the improvement of the therapeutic outcomes of carbapenem antibiotics used in the treatment of VAP in the critical care units of Alexandria University Hospitals (AMUH) by determining the main risk factors for VAP development among ICU patients and by pharmacokinetic evaluation of the current dosing strategy of carbapenems in critically ill pneumonia patients receiving imipenem cilastin combination.
The thesis is comprised of a general introduction and two chapters.