A subgroup analysis reveals that even lower-risk patients will benefit from TMP-SMX therapy.
Investigators of an earlier large randomized trial demonstrated that treatment with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) improved outcomes in patients with skin abscesses (NEJM JW Emerg Med Apr 2016 and N Engl J Med 2016; 374:823). They now report a preplanned secondary analysis to seek evidence of heterogeneity in benefit for a variety of lesion characteristics and patient groups.
Overall, abscesses in 93% of TMP-SMX recipients and 86% of placebo recipients were cured. The data were analyzed by subgroup across a variety of characteristics, including abscess cavity dimension <5 cm, erythema dimension <5 cm, past MRSA infection, fever, diabetes, or a major comorbidity. TMP-SMX was beneficial in all the low-risk groups (e.g., those with sma…
Reviewing Author
DisclosuresConsultant/Advisory BoardPortola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Speaker’s BureauPeerView Institute for Medical Education
Grant/Research SupportAgency for Healthcare Research and Quality; CDC; NIH–National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences; NIH–National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); NIH–NIAID–Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group; Merck; Pfizer; Boehringer-Ingelheim; Shire; Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Novartis; bioMérieux; Siemens; Rapid Pathogen Screening; Magnolia; Stago; Innovative Biosensors; Molecular Detection, Inc.; Dyax Corp.; Trius Pharmaceuticals
DisclosuresConsultant/Advisory BoardPortola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Speaker’s BureauPeerView Institute for Medical Education
Grant/Research SupportAgency for Healthcare Research and Quality; CDC; NIH–National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences; NIH–National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); NIH–NIAID–Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group; Merck; Pfizer; Boehringer-Ingelheim; Shire; Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Novartis; bioMérieux; Siemens; Rapid Pathogen Screening; Magnolia; Stago; Innovative Biosensors; Molecular Detection, Inc.; Dyax Corp.; Trius Pharmaceuticals