Nephrotoxicity and efficacy assessment of polymyxin use in 92 transplant patients

Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2013 Mar;57(3):1442-6. doi: 10.1128/AAC.01329-12. Epub 2013 Jan 7.

Abstract

Polymyxins are old antimicrobials, discontinued for many years because of nephrotoxicity and neurotoxicity reports and reintroduced recently due to the increasing frequency of multiresistant Gram-negative bacterial infections. There are very few data related to toxicity and efficacy from transplanted patients, the major subjects of this study. All solid-organ-transplanted patients from our institution during January 2001 to December 2007 who used polymyxins were retrospectively assessed for nephrotoxicity and treatment efficacy. Microbiological and clinical cure rates were 100% and 77.2%, respectively. Only transplant patients subjected to at least 72 h of intravenous polymyxin were entered in the study. Overall, 92 transplant patients were included, and the nephrotoxicity rate was 32.6%. Multivariate analysis showed a statistically significant association between duration of polymyxin treatment (P = 0.037; odds ratio [OR], 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.00 to 1.12) and significant renal dysfunction. Polymyxin use is associated with very high rates of significant decrease in renal function; therefore, polymyxin must be used only when no other option is available and for as briefly as possible in the solid organ transplant setting.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / administration & dosage
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / toxicity*
  • Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial / drug effects
  • Female
  • Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / drug therapy*
  • Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / microbiology
  • Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / physiopathology
  • Humans
  • Kidney / drug effects*
  • Kidney / microbiology
  • Kidney / physiopathology
  • Kidney Function Tests
  • Kidney Transplantation*
  • Liver Transplantation*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Pancreas Transplantation*
  • Polymyxin B / administration & dosage
  • Polymyxin B / toxicity*
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Polymyxin B