Scientific Letters
Vol. 15 No. 1 (2023): Review Articles, Original Article, Scientific Letter, Case Reports Letter to the Editor
Evaluating the use of meropenem in hematologic patients with febrile neutropenia
A retrospective observational single-cohort study
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All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Received: June 8, 2023
Accepted: October 24, 2023
Accepted: October 24, 2023
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Abstract
Objectives
The Antibiotic Stewardship Team of Meander Medical Centre (Meander MC) instigated a revaluation of its treatment protocol for hematologic patients admitted with febrile neutropenia. The current hospital protocol advises administering meropenem for 72 hours, followed by antibiotic therapy guided by microbiological cultures. In order to responsibly adjust the current empiric regimen, this study aimed to determine the frequency of bacteria resistant to alternative antibiotics, namely ceftazidime and piperacillin/tazobactam, in both surveillance and diagnostic cultures.
Methods
This retrospective, observational, single-centre study included adult patients with a hematologic malignancy and febrile neutropenia admitted between October 2018 and June 2021. Collected metadata included patient characteristics, surveillance and diagnostic culture results, and antibiotic use.
Results
A total of 100 patients were included. One or more bacteria resistant to ceftazidime or piperacillin/tazobactam were identified in blood and urine cultures in seven (7%) and one (1%) patients respectively.
Conclusions
Our results support the safe reduction of the use of meropenem by changing the empiric treatment protocol for patients with hematologic malignancy and febrile neutropenia. As this study showed a lower resistance frequency to piperacillin/tazobactam than to ceftazidime, this antibiotic is the recommended alternative.
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Citations
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How to Cite
“Evaluating the use of meropenem in hematologic patients with febrile neutropenia: A retrospective observational single-cohort study” (2023) Mediterranean Journal of Hematology and Infectious Diseases, 15(1), p. e2023067. doi:10.4084/MJHID.2023.067.
Copyright (c) 2023 R.A. Stuurman, E. Jong, P.C.R. Godschalk, M.F. Corsten, J.E. Nagtegaal
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
