Could an Optimized Joint Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic Target Attainment of Continuous Infusion Piperacillin-Tazobactam Be a Valuable Innovative Approach for Maximizing the Effectiveness of Monotherapy Even in the Treatment of Critically Ill Patients with Documented Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase-Producing <i>Enterobacterales</i> Bloodstream Infections and/or Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia?

oleh: Milo Gatti, Matteo Rinaldi, Tommaso Tonetti, Antonio Siniscalchi, Pierluigi Viale, Federico Pea

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2023-12-01

Deskripsi

(1) Background: Piperacillin-tazobactam represents the first-line option for treating infections caused by full- or multi-susceptible <i>Enterobacterales</i> and/or <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> in critically ill patients. Several studies reported that attaining aggressive pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) targets with beta-lactams is associated with an improved microbiological/clinical outcome. We aimed to assess the relationship between the joint PK/PD target attainment of continuous infusion (CI) piperacillin-tazobactam and the microbiological/clinical outcome of documented Gram-negative bloodstream infections (BSI) and/or ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) of critically ill patients treated with CI piperacillin-tazobactam monotherapy. (2) Methods: Critically ill patients admitted to the general and post-transplant intensive care unit in the period July 2021–September 2023 treated with CI piperacillin-tazobactam monotherapy optimized by means of a real-time therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM)-guided expert clinical pharmacological advice (ECPA) program for documented Gram-negative BSIs and/or VAP were retrospectively retrieved. Steady-state plasma concentrations (C<sub>ss</sub>) of piperacillin and of tazobactam were measured, and the free fractions (<i>f</i>) were calculated according to respective plasma protein binding. The joint PK/PD target was defined as optimal whenever both the piperacillin <i>f</i>C<sub>ss</sub>/MIC ratio was >4 and the tazobactam <i>f</i>C<sub>ss</sub>/target concentration (C<sub>T</sub>) ratio was > 1 (quasi-optimal or suboptimal whenever only one or none of the two weas achieved, respectively). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed for testing variables potentially associated with microbiological outcome. (3) Results: Overall, 43 critically ill patients (median age 69 years; male 58.1%; median SOFA score at baseline 8) treated with CI piperacillin-tazobactam monotherapy were included. Optimal joint PK/PD target was attained in 36 cases (83.7%). At multivariate analysis, optimal attaining of joint PK/PD target was protective against microbiological failure (OR 0.03; 95%CI 0.003–0.27; <i>p</i> = 0.002), whereas quasi-optimal/suboptimal emerged as the only independent predictor of microbiological failure (OR 37.2; 95%CI 3.66–377.86; <i>p</i> = 0.002). (4) Conclusion: Optimized joint PK/PD target attainment of CI piperacillin-tazobactam could represent a valuable strategy for maximizing microbiological outcome in critically ill patients with documented Gram-negative BSI and/or VAP, even when sustained by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing <i>Enterobacterales</i>. In this scenario, implementing a real-time TDM-guided ECPA program may be helpful in preventing failure in attaining optimal joint PK/PD targets among critically ill patients. Larger prospective studies are warranted to confirm our findings.