Duke University Hospital Duke Raleigh Hospital Duke Regional Hospital

Please select your clinical content

Adult Pediatric All

Criteria & Principles

  • Ampicillin/sulbactam lacks activity against Pseudomonas, MRSA, and AmpC GNRs

Usual Dose & Administration

Usual Adult Dose

1.5-3 g q6h

Adjustment of Dose & Administration

Indication-Specific Adjustment

Indication CrCl (mL/min)
>30 15-30 <15, IHD CRRT

Infections caused by:

Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter (CRAB)*

9 g IV q8h over 4 hours

6g IV q8h over 4 hours

6g IV q12h over 4 hours 9 g IV q8h over 4 hours

Infections caused by:

Acinetobacter spp, mild CRAB, or CRAB with intolerance to higher dosing 

3g q4h 3g q6h

3g q8h

3g q6h

Severe infections including:

Diabetic foot ulcers

Lower respiratory tract infections

Endocarditis (HACEK organisms, Enterococcus)

Osteomyelitis

Orbital cellulitis

3g q6h 3g q12h

3g q24h

(give dose after dialysis on dialysis days)

3g q8h

Acute bacterial sinusitis

Community-acquired aspiration pneumonia

Cellulitis (non-purulent)

UTI (complicated)

1.5g q6h 1.5g q12h

1.5g q24h 

(give dose after dialysis on dialysis days)

1.5g q8h

*Higher doses ampicilin/sulbactam (i.e. 6 and 9 grams) are formulated in 250 mL of NS; use caution in patients with heart failure due to high sodium content

General Notes

  1. Up-to-date cost information, click here 
  2. IV antimicrobials outpatient (OPAT) dosing, click here
  3. Obesity dosing weight recommendations here
  4. Helpful drug-drug interaction check website here 
  5. When dosing guidance is provided it is important to note the following:

Fixed (ie non weight-based) doses in adults are historically based on a 70 kg patient. Specific disease states or individual patients may warrant dosages that differ from the above recommendations. Since product-specific criteria for dose adjustment based on creatinine clearance exist, consult product information regarding specific recommendations for dosage adjustment based on estimated creatinine clearance.