Vancomycin AUC/MIC Predicts Mortality in Enterococcal Bacteremia

Despite shortcomings in therapeutic efficacy, toxicity, and the need for serum concentration monitoring, vancomycin remains the standard empiric therapy for suspected Gram-positive infections, largely because of its low cost. For infections with beta-lactam resistant organisms or in cases of beta-lactam allergy, it remains the standard therapy, unfortunately at the price of suboptimal treatment outcomes. Pharmacokinetic targets have been established in the treatment of Staphylococcus aureus infections, but few data exist to validate such targets in enterococcal infection. To examine the effect of vancomycin area under the curve/minimum inhibitory concentration (AUC/MIC) on 30-day all-cause mortality, researchers retrospectively studied 57 c…