RESUMEN
Voriconazole, an antifungal agent, displays high intra- and inter-individual variability. The predictive pharmacokinetic (PK) index requires a minimum plasma concentration (Cmin) in patient serum of between 1-5.5 mg/L. It is common to encounter fungal infections in patients undergoing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support, and data regarding voriconazole PK changes during ECMO are scarce. Our study compared voriconazole PKs in patients with and without ECMO support in a retrospective cohort of critically-ill patients. Fifteen patients with 26 voriconazole Cmin determinations in the non-ECMO group and nine patients with 27 voriconazole Cmin determinations in the ECMO group were recruited. The ECMO group had lower Cmin (0.38 ± 2.98 vs. 3.62 ± 3.88, p < 0.001) and higher infratherapeutic Cmin values (16 vs. 1, p < 0.001) than the non-ECMO group. Multivariate analysis identified ECMO support (-0.668, CI95 -0.978--0.358) and plasma albumin levels (-0.023, CI95 -0.046--0.001) as risk factors for low Cmin values. When comparing pre- and post-therapeutic drug optimisation samples from the ECMO group, the dose required to achieve therapeutic Cmin was 6.44 mg/kg twice a day. Therapeutic drug optimisation is essential to improve target attainment.
RESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: To assess the characteristics and risk factors for mortality in patients with severe coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) treated with tocilizumab (TCZ), alone or in combination with corticosteroids (CS). METHODS: From March 17 to April 7, 2020, a real-world observational retrospective analysis of consecutive hospitalized adult patients receiving TCZ to treat severe COVID-19 was conducted at our 750-bed university hospital. The main outcome was all-cause in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: A total of 1,092 patients with COVID-19 were admitted during the study period. Of them, 186 (17%) were treated with TCZ, of which 129 (87.8%) in combination with CS. Of the total 186 patients, 155 (83.3 %) patients were receiving noninvasive ventilation when TCZ was initiated. Mean time from symptoms onset and hospital admission to TCZ use was 12 (±4.3) and 4.3 days (±3.4), respectively. Overall, 147 (79%) survived and 39 (21%) died. By multivariate analysis, mortality was associated with older age (HR = 1.09, p < 0.001), chronic heart failure (HR = 4.4, p = 0.003), and chronic liver disease (HR = 4.69, p = 0.004). The use of CS, in combination with TCZ, was identified as a protective factor against mortality (HR = 0.26, p < 0.001) in such severe COVID-19 patients receiving TCZ. No serious superinfections were observed after a 30-day follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with severe COVID-19 receiving TCZ due to systemic host-immune inflammatory response syndrome, the use of CS in addition to TCZ therapy, showed a beneficial effect in preventing in-hospital mortality.