Carbapenem susceptibility breakpoints, clinical implications with the moving target.

Carbapenem susceptibility breakpoints, clinical implications with the moving target. Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther. 2016 Feb 26; Authors: O'Donnell JN, Miglis CM, Lee JY, Tuvell M, Lertharakul T, Scheetz MH Abstract Carbapenems are primary agents used to treat a variety of Gram-negative multi-drug resistant infections. In parallel with increasing use, increasing resistance to carbapenem agents has manifested as increased minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs). To attempt to improve clinical outcomes with carbapenems, the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute and the Food Drug Administration decreased susceptibility breakpoints. The European equivalent expert committee, the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing, also utilizes lower MIC susceptibility breakpoints. This review focuses on the rationale for recent breakpoint changes and the associated clinical outcomes for patients treated with carbapenems for infections with varying MICs proximal to the breakpoint. Supporting pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics that underpin the breakpoints are also reviewed. PMID: 26918486 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Expert Review of Anti-Infective Therapy - Category: Infectious Diseases Tags: Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther Source Type: research