Outcomes of Extended Infusion Cefepime in Pediatric Patients

Prolonged Beta-Lactam Infusions in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

OBJECTIVE

To assess whether beta-lactam extended or continuous beta-lactam infusions (EI/CI) improve clinical outcomes in children with proven or suspected bacterial infections.

STUDY DESIGN

We included observational and interventional studies that compared beta-lactam EI or CI with standard infusions in children less than 18 years old, and reported on mortality, hospital or intensive care unit length of stay, microbiological cure, and/or clinical cure. Data sources included PubMed, Medline, EBM Reviews, EMBASE, and CINAHL and were searched from January 1, 1980, to November 3, 2023. Thirteen studies (2945 patients) were included: 5 randomized control trials and 8 observational studies. Indications for antimicrobial therapies and clinical severity varied, ranging from cystic fibrosis exacerbation to critically ill children with bacteriemia.

RESULTS

EI and CI were not associated with a reduction in mortality in randomized control trials (n = 1464; RR 0.93, 95% CI 0.71, 1.21), but were in observational studies (n = 833; RR 0.43, 95% CI 0.19, 0.96). We found no difference in hospital length of stay. Results for clinical and microbiological cures were heterogeneous and reported as narrative review. The included studies were highly heterogeneous, limiting the strength of our findings. The lack of shared definitions for clinical and microbiological cure outcomes precluded analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

EI and CI were not consistently associated with reduced mortality or length of stay in children. Results were conflicting regarding clinical and microbiological cures. More well-designed studies targeting high-risk populations are necessary to determine the efficacy of these alternative dosing strategies.

Meta-analysis on safety of standard vs. prolonged infusion of beta-lactams

BACKGROUND

Efficacy for prolonged infusion beta-lactam dosing schemes has been previously described, but there has been less focus on the safety of standard vs. prolonged infusion protocols of beta-lactams. This study explored differences in adverse drug reactions (ADRs) reported for beta-lactams between each of these infusion protocols.

METHODS

A systematic review of MEDLINE literature databases via PubMed was conducted and references were reviewed. Articles were compiled and assessed with specific inclusion/exclusion criteria. We included randomised and nonrandomised, prospective, and retrospective cohort studies that reported adverse drug reactions (ADRs) due to either standard (30-60 mins) or prolonged (≥3 h) infusions of beta-lactam infusions. Total ADRs between strategies were analysed by infusion methodology. The most consistently reported ADRs were subject to meta-analysis across studies.

RESULTS

12 studies met inclusion/exclusion criteria with data for 4163 patients. There was insufficient data to systematically analyse neurotoxicity or cytopenias. Seven studies reported on nephrotoxicity outcomes with no significant difference in event rates between standard (n = 434/2258,19.2%) vs. prolonged infusion (n = 266/1271, 20.9%) of beta-lactams (OR = 1.08, 95% CI [0.91, 1.29]). Six studies observed diarrhoea in a total of 759 patients with no significant difference in patients of standard (n = 18/399, 4.5%) vs. prolonged (n = 19/360, 5.3%) infusion of beta-lactams (OR = 1.14, 95% CI [0.59,2.20]).

CONCLUSION

Prolonged and standard infusion schemes for beta-lactams demonstrated similar adverse event rates. Future research should focus on improved standardisation of adverse effect definitions and a priori aim to study neurotoxicity and cytopenias. Consistent recording of ADRs and standardised definitions of these reactions will be paramount to further study of this subject.

Extended Infusion of Beta-Lactams and Glycopeptides: A New Era in Pediatric Care? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Optimizing antibiotic therapy is imperative with rising bacterial resistance and high infection mortality. Extended infusion defined as a continuous infusion (COI) or prolonged infusion (PI) of beta-lactams and glycopeptides might improve efficacy and safety compared to their intermittent administration (IA). This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of extended infusion in pediatric patients. Adhering to Cochrane standards, we conducted a systematic review with meta-analysis investigating the efficacy and safety of COI (24 h/d) and PI (>1 h/dose) compared to IA (≤1 h/dose) of beta-lactams and glycopeptides in pediatrics. Primary outcomes included mortality, clinical success, and microbiological eradication. Five studies could be included for the outcome mortality, investigating meropenem, piperacillin/tazobactam, cefepime, or combinations of these. The pooled relative risk estimate was 0.48 (95% CI 0.26-0.89, p = 0.02). No significant differences between the administration modes were found for the outcomes of clinical success, microbiological eradication (beta-lactams; glycopeptides), and mortality (glycopeptides). No study reported additional safety issues, e.g., adverse drug reactions when using COI/PI vs. IA. Our findings suggest that the administration of beta-lactams by extended infusion leads to a reduction in mortality for pediatric patients.

Extended infusion of β-lactams significantly reduces mortality and enhances microbiological eradication in paediatric patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Paediatric patients are often exposed to subtherapeutic levels or treatment failure of β-lactams, and prolonged infusion may be beneficial. We aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of extended infusion (EI; defined as ≥3 h) or continuous infusion vs. short, intermittent infusion (SI; defined as ≤60 min) of β-lactams in patients <21 years of age.

Methods

A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to compare EI and continuous infusion with SI of β-lactams in children. A systematic search was performed in MEDLINE (via PubMed), Embase, CENTRAL, and Scopus databases for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies published from database inception up to August 22, 2023. Any comparative study concerned with mortality, clinical efficacy, adverse events, or plasma concentrations of β-lactams for any infection was eligible. Case reports, case series, and patients aged >21 years were excluded. Odds ratios (OR) and median differences with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using a random-effects model. Risk of bias (ROB) was assessed using ROB2 and ROBINS-I tools. The protocol was registered with PROSPERO, CRD42022375397.

Findings

In total, 19,980 articles were screened, out of which 19 studies (4195 patients) were included in the meta-analysis. EI administration was associated with a significantly lower all-cause mortality in both RCTs and non-RCTs [OR 0.74; CI 0.55-0.99; I2 = 0%; CI 0-58%]. Early microbiological eradication was higher with EI [OR 3.18; CI 2.24-4.51; I2 = 0%; CI 0-90%], but the clinical cure did not differ significantly between the two groups [OR 1.20; CI 0.17-8.71; I2 = 79%; CI 32-93%]. Achieving the optimal plasma level (50-100% fT > MIC) appeared favourable in the EI group compared to the SI. No significant differences were observed in the adverse events. The overall ROB was high because of the small sample sizes and clinically heterogeneous populations.

Interpretation

Our findings suggest that extended infusion of β-lactams was associated with lower mortality and increased microbiological eradication and was considered safe compared to short-term infusion.

Funding

None.

International consensus recommendations for the use of prolonged-infusion beta-lactam antibiotics: Endorsed by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Infectious Diseases Society of America, Society of Critical Care Medicine, and Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists

Intravenous β-lactam antibiotics remain a cornerstone in the management of bacterial infections due to their broad spectrum of activity and excellent tolerability. β-lactams are well established to display time-dependent bactericidal activity, where reductions in bacterial burden are directly associated with the time that free drug concentrations remain above the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the pathogen during the dosing interval. In an effort to take advantage of these bactericidal characteristics, prolonged (extended and continuous) infusions (PIs) can be applied during the administration of intravenous β-lactams to increase time above the MIC. PI dosing regimens have been implemented worldwide, but implementation is inconsistent. We report consensus therapeutic recommendations for the use of PI β-lactams developed by an expert international panel with representation from clinical pharmacy and medicine. This consensus guideline provides recommendations regarding pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic targets, therapeutic drug-monitoring considerations, and the use of PI β-lactam therapy in the following patient populations: severely ill and nonseverely ill adult patients, pediatric patients, and obese patients. These recommendations provide the first consensus guidance for the use of β-lactam therapy administered as PIs and have been reviewed and endorsed by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (BSAC), the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF), the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID), the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), and the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (SIDP).

Extended Infusion β-Lactams for the Treatment of Gram-Negative Bacteremia in Children

OBJECTIVE

The pharmacokinetics of β-lactam antibiotics favor administration via an extended infusion. Although literature to support extended infusion β-lactams exists for adults, few data are available in pediatrics, especially among patients with bacteremia. The purpose of this study was to compare clinical outcomes between extended and standard infusions in children with Gram-negative bacteremia.

METHODS

This retrospective chart analysis included hospitalized patients ages 0 to 18 years who received at least 72 hours of cefepime, meropenem, or piperacillin-tazobactam between January 1, 2013 and July 30, 2021. Clinical outcomes included duration of antibiotic therapy, hospital length of stay, readmission within 30 days, all-cause mortality, time to blood culture clearance, and time to normalization of inflammatory markers.

RESULTS

A total of 124 patients (51 extended infusion, 73 standard infusion) met criteria for evaluation. Duration of antibiotic therapy was shorter in the extended infusion group (6.6 days versus 10.2 days; p = 0.01). There were no differences in hospital length of stay, readmission rates, all-cause mortality, time to normalization of inflammatory markers, or time to blood culture clearance.

CONCLUSIONS

Use of extended infusion β-lactam antibiotics in children with Gram-negative bacteremia was associated with shorter durations of therapy and should be the preferred method of administration when feasible.

Cefepime Dosing in Neonates: What is the Evidence?

OBJECTIVE

Recommended cefepime dosing strategies in neonates varies in commonly utilized dosing references with regard to dose and frequency. The objective of this review is to summarize and evaluate the available literature describing cefepime dosing in neonatal patients.

STUDY DESIGN

We performed a literature review in MEDLINE using the keyword cefepime. The search was limited to the English language, humans, and patients <2 months of age. We evaluated four pharmacokinetic studies and two studies describing the use of cefepime in clinical practice.

RESULTS

The available studies assessing cefepime serum concentrations in neonatal patients demonstrated maintenance of adequate pharmacokinetic parameters when utilizing a dosing frequency of every 12 hours, specifically for organisms with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ≤ 8 mg/L. In studies evaluating clinical outcomes of cefepime use in neonates, the most frequent adverse effects reported included seizures and hypophosphatemia. Microbiologic cure was demonstrated with a dosing regimen of 50 mg/kg per dose every 12 hours.

CONCLUSION

Cefepime dosed 30 to 50 mg/kg per dose every 12 hours may be appropriate to achieve a concentration two to four times above an MIC ≤ 8 mg/L for at least 60% of the dosing interval in neonatal patients.