Clinical effectiveness of cefiderocol for the treatment of bloodstream infections due to carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii during the COVID-19 era: a single center, observational study.

BACKGROUND: We assessed the clinical effectiveness of cefiderocol (CFDC) in comparison with colistin (COL) for the treatment of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) bloodstream infections (BSI). MATERIALS/METHODS: Retrospective cohort study including adults with CRAB-BSI. Outcomes were mortality, clinical cure and adverse events during therapy. The average treatment effect of CFDC compared to COL was weighted with the inverse-probability treatment weight (IPTW). RESULTS: Overall, 104 patients were included (50 CFDC, 54 COL), median age 66.5 years, median Charlson Comorbidity Index 5, septic shock in 33.6% of patients. Primary BSI accounted for 43.3% of cases, followed by ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) (26%), catheter-related BSI (20.2%) and hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) (9.6%). Although not significantly, mortality at all time points was lower for CFDC than COL, while clinical cure was higher in CFDC than COL (66% vs. 44.4%, p = 0.027). Adverse events were more frequent in COL than CFDC-group (38.8% vs. 10%, p < 0.0001), primarily attributed to acute kidney injury (AKI) in the COL group. Patients with bacteremic HAP/VAP treated with CFDC had a significant lower 30-d mortality and higher clinical cure than COL (p = 0.008 and p = 0.0008, respectively). Increment of CCI (p = 0.005), ICU (p = 0.025), SARS-CoV2 (p = 0.006) and ECMO (p < 0.0001) were independently associated with 30-d mortality, while receiving CFDC was not associated with survival. CONCLUSIONS: CFDC could represent an effective and safe treatment option for CRAB BSI, especially in patients with bacteremic HAP/VAP and frail patients where the risk of acute renal failure during therapy should be avoided.

Clinical course of Coronavirus Disease-19 in patients with haematological malignancies is characterized by a longer time to respiratory deterioration compared to non-haematological ones: results from a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated clinical features and risk factors for mortality in patients with haematological malignancies and COVID-19. METHODS: Retrospective, case-control (1:3) study in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Cases were patients with haematological malignancies and COVID-19, controls had COVID-19 without haematological malignancies. Patients were matched for sex, age and time of hospitalization. RESULTS: Overall, 66 cases and 198 controls were included in the study. Cases had higher prior corticosteroid use, infection rates, thrombocytopenia and neutropenia and more likely received corticosteroids and antibiotics than controls. Cases had higher respiratory deterioration than controls (78.7% vs 65.5%, p = 0.04). Notably, 29% of cases developed respiratory worsening > 10 days after hospital admission, compared to only 5% in controls. Intensive Care Unit admission and mortality were higher in cases than in controls (27% vs 8%, p = 0.002, and 35% vs 10%, p < 0.001). At multivariable analysis, having haematological malignancy [OR4.76, p < 0.001], chronic corticosteroid therapy [OR3.65, p = 0.004], prior infections [OR57.7, p = 0.006], thrombocytopenia [OR3.03, p < 0.001] and neutropenia [OR31.1, p = 0.001], low albumin levels [OR3.1, p = 0.001] and ≥ 10 days from hospital admission to respiratory worsening [OR3.3, p = 0.002] were independently associated with mortality. In cases, neutropenia [OR3.1, p < 0.001], prior infections [OR7.7, p < 0.001], ≥ 10 days to respiratory worsening [OR4.1, p < 0.001], multiple myeloma [OR1.5, p = 0.044], the variation of the CT lung score during hospitalization [OR2.6, p = 0.006] and active treatment [OR 4.4, p < 0.001] all were associated with a worse outcome. CONCLUSION: An underlying haematological malignancy was associated with a worse clinical outcome in COVID-19 patients. A prolonged clinical monitoring is needed, since respiratory worsening may occur later during hospitalization.

Effect of ceftazidime/avibactam plus fosfomycin combination on 30†day mortality in patients with bloodstream infections caused by KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae: results from a multicentre retrospective study.

Introduction: The primary outcome of the study was to evaluate the effect on 30 day mortality of the combination ceftazidime/avibactam + fosfomycin in the treatment of bloodstream infections (BSIs) caused by KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (KPC-Kp). Materials and methods: From October 2018 to March 2021, a retrospective, two-centre study was performed on patients with KPC-Kp BSI hospitalized at Sapienza University (Rome) and ISMETT-IRCCS (Palermo) and treated with ceftazidime/avibactam-containing regimens. A matched cohort (1:1) analysis was performed. Cases were patients receiving ceftazidime/avibactam + fosfomycin and controls were patients receiving ceftazidime/avibactam alone or in combination with in vitro non-active drugs different from fosfomycin (ceftazidime/avibactam ±â€Šother). Patients were matched for age, Charlson comorbidity index, ward of isolation (ICU or non-ICU), source of infection and severity of BSI, expressed as INCREMENT carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) score. Results: Overall, 221 patients were included in the study. Following the 1:1 match, 122 subjects were retrieved: 61 cases (ceftazidime/avibactam + fosfomycin) and 61 controls (ceftazidime/avibactam ±â€Šother). No difference in overall mortality emerged between cases and controls, whereas controls had more non-BSI KPC-Kp infections and a higher number of deaths attributable to secondary infections. Almost half of ceftazidime/avibactam + fosfomycin patients were prescribed fosfomycin without MIC fosfomycin availability. No difference in the outcome emerged after stratification for fosfomycin susceptibility availability and dosage. SARS-CoV-2 infection and ICS ≥ 8 independently predicted 30 day mortality, whereas an appropriate definitive therapy was protective. Conclusions: Our data show that fosfomycin was used in the treatment of KPC-Kp BSI independently from having its susceptibility testing available. Although no difference was found in 30 day overall mortality, ceftazidime/avibactam + fosfomycin was associated with a lower rate of subsequent KPC-Kp infections and secondary infections than other ceftazidime/avibactam-based regimens.

Determinants of prolonged viral RNA shedding in hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate determinants of prolonged viral RNA shedding in hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 positive nasopharyngeal RT-PCR were included in a single-center, retrospective study. Patients were divided in 2 groups according to the timing of viral clearance [≤14 days, "early clearance (EC)" and >14 days, "late clearance (LC)"]. RESULTS: 179 patients were included in the study (101 EC, 78 LC), with median age 62 years. Median time of viral shedding was 14 days (EC/LC 10 and 19 days, respectively, P < 0.0001). Univariate analyses showed that age, male gender, receiving corticosteroids, receiving tocilizumab, ICU admission, low albumin and NLR ratio were associated with late viral clearance. In the multivariable analysis, older age (P = 0.016), albumin level (P = 0.048), corticosteroids (P = 0.021), and tocilizumab (P = 0.015) were significantly associated with late viral clearance. CONCLUSIONS: Age, albumin, tocilizumab and corticosteroid treatment were independently associated with a prolonged SARS-CoV-2 RNA shedding.