Clinical outcomes with extended or continuous versus short-term intravenous infusion of carbapenems and piperacillin/tazobactam: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Clin Infect Dis. 2013 Jan;56(2):272-82. doi: 10.1093/cid/cis857. Epub 2012 Oct 16.

Abstract

We sought to study whether the better pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) properties of carbapenems and piperacillin/tazobactam, when the duration of infusion is longer, were associated with lower mortality. PubMed and Scopus were searched for studies reporting on patients treated with extended (≥3 hours) or continuous (24 hours) versus short-term duration (20-60 minutes) infusions of carbapenems or piperacillin/tazobactam. Fourteen studies were included (1229 patients). Mortality was lower among patients receiving extended or continuous infusion of carbapenems or piperacillin/tazobactam compared to those receiving short-term (risk ratio [RR], 0.59; 95% confidence interval [CI], .41-.83). Patients with pneumonia who received extended or continuous infusion had lower mortality than those receiving short-term infusion (RR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.26-0.96). Data for other specific infections were not available. The available evidence from mainly nonrandomized studies suggests that extended or continuous infusion of carbapenems or piperacillin/tazobactam was associated with lower mortality. Well-designed randomized controlled trials are warranted to confirm these findings before such approaches become widely used.

Publication types

  • Meta-Analysis
  • Review
  • Systematic Review

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / administration & dosage*
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / adverse effects
  • Bacterial Infections / drug therapy*
  • Bacterial Infections / mortality
  • Carbapenems / administration & dosage*
  • Carbapenems / adverse effects
  • Drug Administration Schedule
  • Humans
  • Infusions, Intravenous
  • Penicillanic Acid / administration & dosage
  • Penicillanic Acid / adverse effects
  • Penicillanic Acid / analogs & derivatives*
  • Piperacillin / administration & dosage*
  • Piperacillin / adverse effects
  • Tazobactam
  • Treatment Outcome
  • beta-Lactam Resistance

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Carbapenems
  • Penicillanic Acid
  • Tazobactam
  • Piperacillin