Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy
-
Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. · Aug 2003
Polymyxin B nephrotoxicity and efficacy against nosocomial infections caused by multiresistant gram-negative bacteria.
Reported rates of nephrotoxicity associated with the systemic use of polymyxins have varied widely. The emergence of infections due to multiresistant gram-negative bacteria has necessitated the use of systemic polymyxin B once again for the treatment of such infections. We retrospectively investigated the rate of nephrotoxicity in patients receiving polymyxin B parenterally for the treatment of infections caused by multiresistant gram-negative bacteria from October 1999 to September 2000. ⋯ The overall mortality was 20%, but it increased to 57% in those who developed renal failure. The organism was cleared in 88% of the patients from whom repeat specimens were obtained. The use of polymyxin B to treat multiresistant gram-negative infections was highly effective and associated with a lower rate of nephrotoxicity than previously described.