Abstract: ObjectiveTo investigate antibiotic utilization among inpatients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation and to provide evidences for rational application of antibiotic in the inpatients.MethodsUsing random sampling medical records of 2 400 COPD patients hospitalized between January 1st,2012 through December 2015 in 3 hospitals of grade III class A were extracted and then the data on antibiotic use among the 1 630 inpatients with COPD exacerbation were analyzed retrospectively.ResultsOf the 1 630 COPD inpatients with exacerbation,971 were male and 659 were female; the mean age of the inpatients was 73.6±11.5 years.The highest proportion of antibiotics used was 59.88% (2 724/4 549 case-times) for cephalosporins; the most frequently used antibiotic was cefoperazone sulbactam (368 case-times).The maximum drug utilization index (DUI) of antibiotic use was 1.70 for roxithromycin and the minimum DUI was 0.70 for cefotaxime.The utilized antibiotics with the drug utilization index approximately to one were etomicin (0.95),cefixime (0.98),cefminol (1.03),ceftriaxone (1.04),and cefodizime (1.06),respectively.ConclusionThe antibiotic application was rational among COPD inpatients with exacerbation in large hospitals in urban Shenyang,but still needs to be supervised.