CHENNAI: Amid rising global concern over antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine (ISCCM) on Friday warned of the increasing drug-resistant infections that undermines treatment outcomes in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and called for stricter antibiotic stewardship, improved diagnostics and wider public awareness.
Addressing a press conference during Criticare 2026 in the city, ISCCM office-bearers said that critically ill patients were bearing the brunt of shrinking antibiotic options, with multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens complicating care and escalating mortality.
“In ICUs, every fever is not an infection. Before initiating antibiotics, clinicians must carefully assess the cause, identify the source of sepsis where present, and prescribe targeted anti-infectives for a defined duration. Indiscriminate use fuels resistance and forces us to rely on stronger, limited drugs,” said Dr Sachin Gupta, general secretary, ISCCM.
Pradip Kumar Bhattacharya, former president, ISCCM, said patients referred from smaller hospitals often arrived with resistant infections. “Infection control standards followed at tertiary centres must percolate to peripheral facilities. High-end, broad-spectrum antibiotics are frequently used inappropriately before referral, leaving us with fewer effective options,” he noted.
Dr Ranvir Singh Tyagi, president-elect, stressed the need for a three-pronged approach: public education, clinician training and robust diagnostic systems. “Antibiotics are still accessed without restriction, and improper culture testing complicates treatment decisions,” he said.
Dr Kalavathy Swarna highlighted the importance of strict hospital infection control, while ISCCM president Dr Srinivas Samavedam underscored the role of data science and AI in personalising therapy.
Globally, AMR is estimated to cause nearly seven lakh deaths annually and could claim 10 million lives a year by 2050 if unchecked, experts warned, urging a coordinated policy action to protect the effectiveness of existing antibiotics.