RESUMO
OBJECTIVES: We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of a high loading dose of colistin and no loading dose of colistin to treat multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii infections. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study of patients with MDR A baumannii infections at a university-affiliated hospital from December 2014 to January 2016. In the high loading dose group, the patients received a high loading dose of 300 mg colistin base activity (CBA) followed by a maintenance dose of 150 mg CBA twice daily, and patients in the no loading dose group received only the maintenance dose. The primary outcome was clinical response. The secondary outcomes were 28-day mortality and microbiological response. RESULTS: A total of 255 cases were identified. The high loading dose of colistin strategy provided no significant difference in good clinical response when compared to the no loading dose group (65.5% vs 70.4%; P = .442), without a significant difference in the development of renal dysfunction (52.3% vs 49.4%; P = .664). However, microbiological eradication was significantly higher among patients who received the high loading dose of colistin when compared to those who received the no loading dose (87.9% vs 70.4%; P = .0006). CONCLUSIONS: The high loading dose of colistin strategy was effective and safe for treating patients with MDR A baumannii.