A Turkish study tracking antimicrobial resistance over 13 years in ICU patients with external ventricular drains found alarmingly high resistance in drain-associated brain infections, with carbapenem resistance reaching 80% in Acinetobacter baumannii and increasing resistance patterns after the COVID-19 period. The results add to a growing body of hospital surveillance evidence that real-world resistance dynamics differ from what clinicians expect based on community trends, particularly in device-associated settings. The data also underscore how infection-control practices and antibiotic stewardship may need to be tightened around procedural pathways. In parallel, a study describing blood culture interpretation in preemies reported that roughly one-third of positive blood cultures were contamination rather than infection, reinforcing that diagnostic rigor—before antibiotics—remains crucial for antimicrobial stewardship. Together, the updates highlight a dual lever for reducing harm: better diagnostic certainty and better surveillance-informed antibiotic policies.