Higher Vancomycin MIC Not Associated with Adverse Outcome in S. aureus Bacteremia

Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection (SAB) is a severe disease and carries considerable mortality. Because methicillin-resistant S. aureus is responsible for a considerable proportion of SAB cases in many countries, vancomycin is commonly used as empirical treatment for suspected SAB. Recently, an increase in vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) within the range considered “susceptible” has been observed for S. aureus strains. Furthermore, some reports have suggested worse outcomes among patients infected with these less-susceptible strains.

To explore this issue, researchers in Nebraska conducted a meta-analysis involving 38 studies totaling 8291 SAB episodes. Overall mortality in the meta-analysis cohort was 26.1%. Th…