noun
- A class of broad-spectrum beta-lactam antibiotics used to treat serious bacterial infections, especially those resistant to other antibiotics.
Usage: medical/pharmaceutical; plural form; singular is carbapenem; commonly used in hospital settings
Examples
- Carbapenems are often reserved for severe infections that do not respond to other antibiotics.
- The patient was prescribed carbapenems after the initial antibiotic treatment failed.
- Doctors use carbapenems to treat infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria.
- Carbapenems have a broad spectrum of activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.
- The hospital's antibiotic stewardship program limits the use of carbapenems to necessary cases.