Impact of ceftazidime/avibactam versus best available therapy on mortality from infections caused by carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CAVICOR study).

BACKGROUND: Infections caused by carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) are not well represented in pivotal trials with ceftazidime/avibactam. The best strategy for the treatment of these infections is unknown. METHODS: We conducted a multicentre retrospective observational study of patients who received ≥48 h of ceftazidime/avibactam or best available therapy (BAT) for documented CPE infections. The primary outcome was 30 day crude mortality. Secondary outcomes were 21 day clinical response and microbiological response. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify factors predictive of 30 day crude mortality. A propensity score to receive treatment with ceftazidime/avibactam was used as a covariate in the analysis. RESULTS: The cohort included 339 patients with CPE infections. Ceftazidime/avibactam treatment was used in 189 (55.8%) patients and 150 (44.2%) received BAT at a median of 2 days after diagnosis of infection. In multivariate analysis, ceftazidime/avibactam treatment was associated with survival (OR 0.41, 95% CI 0.20-0.80; P = 0.01), whereas INCREMENT-CPE scores of >7 points (OR 2.57, 95% CI 1.18-1.5.58; P = 0.01) and SOFA score (OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.08-1.34; P = 0.001) were associated with higher mortality. In patients with INCREMENT-CPE scores of >7 points, ceftazidime/avibactam treatment was associated with lower mortality compared with BAT (16/73, 21.9% versus 23/49, 46.9%; P = 0.004). Ceftazidime/avibactam was also an independent factor of 21 day clinical response (OR 2.43, 95% CI 1.16-5.12; P = 0.02) and microbiological eradication (OR 0.40, 95% CI 0.18-0.85; P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Ceftazidime/avibactam is an effective alternative for the treatment of CPE infections, especially in patients with INCREMENT-CPE scores of >7 points. A randomized controlled trial should confirm these findings.

Use of carbapenems in the combined treatment of emerging ceftazidime/avibactam-resistant and carbapenem-susceptible KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae infections: Report of a case and review of the literature.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the case of a patient with infection due to a KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) isolate developing ceftazidime-avibactam resistance with restored carbapenem susceptibility during ceftazidime-avibactam therapy. To review the clinical/microbiological cure and survival rates using carbapenems in other similar case reports and case series. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A patient with an intra-abdominal infection due to K. pneumoniae producing the KPC-48 variant (L169P-A172T) (resistant to ceftazidime/avibactam and susceptible to carbapenems) who was treated with imipenem-cilastatin in combination with tigecycline and gentamicin. The literature was reviewed in order to summarise the in vivo (clinical/microbiological cure and survival rate) use of carbapenems in this emerging scenario. RESULTS: The patient was successfully treated with the indicated regimen. In other reported cases (mostly with pneumonia) all-cause mortality was 50% and clinical cure was 62.5%. Meropenem-vaborbactam has been successful used in an additional case. CONCLUSIONS: A carbapenem-based regimen of combination therapy seems to be an option for treating patients infected with K. pneumoniae resistant to ceftazidime/avibactam and susceptible to carbapenems, at least when the risk of mortality is low.

Prognosis of urinary tract infection caused by KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae: The impact of inappropriate empirical treatment.

INTRODUCTION: There is scarce information on the prognosis of urinary tract infections (UTI) caused by KPC carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (KPC-Kp). OBJETIVE: To investigate the association between KPC-Kp aetiology and clinical failure and all cause mortality and to explore the impact of inappropriate empirical treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This is a retrospective observational study of hospitalized patients with UTI due to K. pneumoniae. We explored clinical failure at day 21 and 30-day all-cause mortality using different models of adjusted analysis. RESULTS: We analyzed 142 episodes of UTI; 46 episodes (32.4%) were due to KPC-Kp and 96 episodes (67.6%) were due to non-KPC-Kp strains (62 wild type and 34 EBSL producer). Clinical failure was more frequent in the KPC-Kp group (41.3% vs. 15.6%, p = 0.001). KPC-Kp aetiology and inappropriate empirical therapy were associated in the non-adjusted analysis with clinical failure. When analysed in separate adjusted models, both were found to be associated; inappropriate empirical treatment (OR 2.51; 95% CI, 1.03-6.12; p = 0.04) and KPC-Kp (OR 2.73; 95% CI, 1.03-7.22; p = 0.04) were associated with increased risk of failure. All-cause 30-day mortality was higher in patients with KPC-Kp UTI (39.1% vs. 15.6%, p = 0.002). Bacteraemia was more frequent in patients with KPC-Kp etiology (23.9% vs. 10.4%; p = 0.034). In both cases, the association was not confirmed in the adjusted analysis. CONCLUSION: KPC-Kp UTI is associated with higher clinical failure and may be due to an increase in inappropriate empirical treatment.

Mortality Associated with Bacteremia Due to Colistin-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae with High-Level Meropenem Resistance: Importance of Combination Therapy without Colistin and Carbapenems.

Combination therapy including colistin and a carbapenem has been found to be associated with lower mortality in the treatment of bloodstream infections (BSI) due to KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae when the isolates show a meropenem or imipenem MIC of <16 mg/liter. However, the optimal treatment of BSI caused by colistin- and high-level carbapenem-resistant KPC-producing K. pneumoniae is unknown. A prospective cohort study including episodes of bacteremia caused by colistin-resistant and high-level meropenem-resistant (MIC ≥ 64 mg/liter) KPC-producing K. pneumoniae diagnosed from July 2012 to February 2016 was performed. The impact of combination therapy on crude 30-day mortality was analyzed by Cox regression using a propensity score as a covariate to control for indication bias and in an inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) cohort. The study sample comprised 104 patients, of which 32 (30.8%) received targeted monotherapy and 72 (69.2%) received targeted combination therapy; none of them received either colistin or a carbapenem. The 30-day crude mortality rate was 30.8% (43.8% in patients treated with monotherapy and 25% in patients receiving combination therapy). In the Cox regression analysis, 30-day mortality was independently associated with septic shock at BSI onset (hazard ratio [HR], 6.03; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.65 to 21.9; P = 0.006) and admission to the critical care unit (HR, 2.87; 95% CI, 0.99 to 8.27; P = 0.05). Targeted combination therapy was associated with lower mortality only in patients with septic shock (HR, 0.14; 95% CI, 0.03 to 0.67; P = 0.01). These results were confirmed in the Cox regression analysis of the IPTW cohort. Combination therapy is associated with reduced mortality in patients with bacteremia due to colistin-resistant KPC-producing K. pneumoniae with high-level carbapenem resistance in patients with septic shock.