International journal of antimicrobial agents
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Int. J. Antimicrob. Agents · May 2012
Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) in a teaching hospital-based practice: a retrospective cohort study describing experience and evolution over 10 years.
Use of outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) is increasing in settings with advanced healthcare systems internationally. This study describes a large OPAT service cohort developed in the west of Scotland and includes trends over a 10-year period of this service. Data were retrieved from a prospectively maintained electronic case database. ⋯ Outcome proportions (success and adverse events) did not vary over time. This cohort study adds to the increasing observational data suggesting that OPAT is safe, effective and acceptable for treating a wide variety of infections. Observed trends over a 10-year period suggest that this model of infection management is adaptable and sustainable.
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Int. J. Antimicrob. Agents · May 2012
Augmented renal clearance in septic patients and implications for vancomycin optimisation.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of augmented renal clearance (ARC) on vancomycin serum concentrations in critically ill patients. This prospective, single-centre, observational, cohort study included 93 consecutive, critically ill septic patients who started treatment that included vancomycin by continuous infusion, admitted over a 2-year period (March 2006 to February 2008). ARC was defined as 24-h creatinine clearance (CL(Cr))>130 mL/min/1.73 m(2). ⋯ Serum vancomycin levels on D(1), D(2) and D(3), respectively, were 13.1, 16.6 and 18.6 μmol/L for Group A and 9.7, 11.7 and 13.8 μmol/L for Group B (P<0.05 per day). The correlation between CL(Cr) and serum vancomycin on D(1) was -0.57 (P<0.001). ARC was strongly associated with subtherapeutic vancomycin serum concentrations on the first 3 days of treatment.
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Int. J. Antimicrob. Agents · Apr 2012
Determinants of early inadequate vancomycin concentrations during continuous infusion in septic patients.
Vancomycin is frequently administered to critically ill patients by continuous infusion in order to optimise drug efficacy; however, there are few data available on the efficacy of this strategy in septic patients. In this retrospective analysis, 261 patients treated with continuous infusion of vancomycin in the Department of Intensive Care at Hôpital Erasme (Brussels, Belgium) were evaluated. Creatinine clearance (CL(Cr)) was calculated from 24-h urine collection and normalised to body surface area. ⋯ A CL(Cr)>120 mL/min/1.73 m(2) had a sensitivity of 26%, a specificity of 94% and an 84% positive predictive value of 84% for vancomycin concentrations <20 μg/mL. In conclusion, approximately one-half of the septic Intensive Care Unit patients treated with continuous infusion of vancomycin at currently recommended doses had insufficient drug concentrations in the early phase of therapy. A high CL(Cr) was the variable most strongly associated with insufficient drug concentrations.
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Int. J. Antimicrob. Agents · Apr 2012
Penetration of doripenem in human brain: an observational microdialysis study in patients with acute brain injury.
Concentration-time profiles of unbound doripenem were determined by microdialysis in the cerebral interstitium of five patients with acute brain injury. The ratio of the area under the concentration-time curve in brain to that in plasma (AUC(brain)/AUC(plasma)) was 0.17 in one patient and 0.01 in the remaining four patients. Based on the percentage of the dosing interval during which the doripenem concentration exceeded a certain minimum inhibitory concentration (T>MIC), a value of ≥35% of the dosing interval was reached for pathogens with MICs up to 0.05 mg/L. The present data indicate that breakpoints based on concentrations of doripenem in plasma may overestimate antimicrobial activity in brain parenchyma.
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Int. J. Antimicrob. Agents · Mar 2012
ReviewDoes empirical treatment of community-acquired pneumonia with fluoroquinolones delay tuberculosis treatment and result in fluoroquinolone resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis? Controversies and solutions.
The role of fluoroquinolones (FQs) as empirical therapy for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains controversial in countries with high tuberculosis (TB) endemicity owing to the possibility of delayed TB diagnosis and treatment and the emergence of FQ resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Although the rates of macrolide-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid-resistant Haemophilus influenzae have risen to alarming levels, the rates of respiratory FQ (RFQ) resistance amongst these isolates remain relatively low. It is reported that ca. 1-7% of CAP cases are re-diagnosed as pulmonary TB in Asian countries. ⋯ Previous exposure to a FQ for >10 days in patients with TB is associated with the emergence of FQ-resistant M. tuberculosis isolates. However, rates of M. tuberculosis isolates with FQ resistance are significantly higher amongst multidrug-resistant M. tuberculosis isolates than amongst susceptible isolates. Consequently, in Taiwan and also in other countries with TB endemicity, a short-course (5-day) regimen of a RFQ is still recommended for empirical therapy for CAP patients if the patient is at low risk for TB.