• Julianne Joo, Jason Yamaki, Mimi Lou, Shenche Hshieh, Tony Chu, Kimberly A Shriner, and Annie Wong-Beringer.
• University of Southern California, School of Pharmacy, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
• Clin Ther. 2013 Jul 1;35(7):995-1004.

BackgroundA subset of vancomycin-treated patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infection (BSI) developed persistent positive blood cultures. Treatment eventually failed.MethodsA retrospective study was conducted to determine whether early response on day 3 after initiation of vancomycin therapy for MRSA BSI was associated with reduced rates of persistent bacteremia, end-of-treatment failure, and infection-related mortality. Patients' medical charts were reviewed. Susceptibility testing and molecular characterization of bacterial isolates were performed.ResultsIn this elderly cohort (n = 111; median age 70 years, interquartile range: 57-80 years), early response was observed in 62% of patients and was significantly (P < 0.0001) associated with lower rates of end-of-treatment failure (19% vs 57%) and infection-related death (1% vs 29%), but not with persistent bacteremia (17% vs 29%, P = 0.23). Nearly half (46%; 46 of 100 patients) remained on vancomycin therapy for the entire treatment course; those who continued despite lack of early response had a trend toward a higher risk of death than those who were switched to alternative therapy (38% vs 10%, P = NS). Most (68%) isolates had vancomycin MIC of >1 µg/mL, whereas 10% showed heterogeneous glycopeptide-intermediate Staph aureus (hGISA) phenotype. Nearly half (47%) were typed with staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec IV or V. In a multivariate logistic regression model, lack of response at day 3 was the strongest predictor for end-of-treatment failure, after adjustment for confounders such as age, Acute Physiology And Chronic Health Evaluation II score, intensive care unit admission, vancomycin MIC >1 µg/mL, unbound trough concentration <4 to 5× MIC, and continued vancomycin therapy without change.ConclusionsEarly response assessment after initiation of vancomycin therapy appeared to be useful for considering further diagnostic workup or a switch to alternative therapy to affect a positive outcome in patients with MRSA BSI.Copyright © 2013 Elsevier HS Journals, Inc. All rights reserved.

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