Intravenous Colistin Use as a Surveillance Tool for Gram-Negative Bacillary Antimicrobial Resistance?

A 7-year observational study found that colistin use increased by 179%, but colistin-use tracking missed 47% of possible cases of extensively drug-resistant gram-negative bloodstream infections.

Despite the increasing frequency of carbapenem-resistant gram-negative infections (CRGNIs), the outcomes and precise incidence of such infections are not known because previous surveillance has been limited by both sample size and reporting bias. One way to obtain better data would be to analyze cases involving intravenous colistin use for >72 hours, because this regimen is employed nearly exclusively for treating CRGNIs.

To achieve this goal, researchers conducted a retrospective, observational cohort study involving colistin case-patients between 2006 and 2012 at 40 academic medical centers within the University HealthSystem Consortium. A case-patient was defined as any hospitalized adult who received intravenous colistin for >3 consecutiv…

Reviewing Author

Neil M. Ampel, MD

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Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)

Neil M. Ampel, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)

Intravenous Colistin Use as a Surveillance Tool for Gram-Negative Bacillary Antimicrobial Resistance?

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Reviewing Author