Best Available Therapy With or Without Meropenem for Bloodstream Infections by Enterobacterales With High Level of Resistance to Carbapenems

Overview

Enterobacterales resistant to carbapenem are cause of severe concern in hospital-acquired infections since therapeutic options are limited. Recently approved drugs, such as bela-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor, have been the drug of choice. However, its use is limited in low- and middle-income countries. Thus, therapy of these infections mostly relies on polymyxins and other old drugs. The role of adjuvant carbapenem therapy in combination with polymyxins, aminoglycosides and other drugs is under investigation. From a pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD), there is an elevated probability that high-dose, extended infusion administered meropenem reach the PK/PD target of 40% above the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the pathogen when the MIC is 32mg/L or lower (non-susceptible isolates have MICs of 4mg/L or higher). However, the MIC is not routinely determined in clinical laboratories. In addition, high-level (above 32mg/L) resistance to carbapenems have been reported in many studies. This open-label, randomized clinical trial aim to assess if the addition of meropenem to the best available therapy can increase the number of days alive and free of hospitalization in patients with bloodstream infections by Enterobacterales with MIC of meropenem above 32mg/L.

Conditions