Appropriateness of empirical antibiotic therapy and added value of adjunctive gentamicin in patients with septic shock: a prospective cohort study in the ICU.

Inappropriate empirical antibiotic therapy occurs in 17% of septic shock patients receiving monotherapy. In 55% of these patients, additional gentamicin would have resulted in appropriate therapy. When clinical course is unfavourable, lowering the threshold for administering adjunctive aminoglycoside and antifungal therapy should be considered.