Objective To evaluate the effect of antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) on carbapenem antibiotics in intensive care unit (ICU). Methods Clinical data of ICU patients in a hospital from April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2020 were retrospectively analyzed, ASP was implemented from April 1, 2019, the frequency of defined daily doses (DDDs) and antimicrobial use density (AUD) of carbapenem antibiotics were used as the evaluation criteria of ASP. Results Before and after implementation of ASP, there was no significant difference in general data of patients, length of ICU stay and mortality between infected and non-infected patients (all P>0.05). After the implementation of ASP, DDDs of carbapenem antibiotics decreased from 2 101.25 to 1 862.25, difference was not significant (P>0.05); AUD of carbapenem antibiotics decreased from 43.34 DDDs/100 cases·day to 31.32 DDDs/100 cases·day, difference was significant (P < 0.05). Resistance rates of Acinetobacter baumannii and Klebsiella pneumoniae to carbapenem antibiotics decreased from 90.00% and 20.41% before implementation to 73.21% and 10.14% after implementation respectively, difference was significant (both P < 0.05). Conclusion The implementation of ASP centered in ICU can reduce the DDDs and AUD of carbapenem antibiotics, reduce resistance rate of bacteria to carbapenem antibiotics, but does not increase length of ICU stay and mortality of patients.