Antibiotics in Critically Ill Patients: a Systematic Review of the Pharmacokinetics of B-Lactams Joao Gonçalves-Pereira1,2* and Pedro Póvoa1,2
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Gonçalves-Pereira and Póvoa Critical Care 2011, 15:R206 http://ccforum.com/content/15/5/R206 RESEARCH Open Access Antibiotics in critically ill patients: a systematic review of the pharmacokinetics of b-lactams Joao Gonçalves-Pereira1,2* and Pedro Póvoa1,2 Abstract Introduction: Several reports have shown marked heterogeneity of antibiotic pharmacokinetics (PK) in patients admitted to ICUs, which might potentially affect outcomes. Therefore, the pharmacodynamic (PD) parameter of the efficacy of b-lactam antibiotics, that is, the time that its concentration is above the bacteria minimal inhibitory concentration (T > MIC), cannot be safely extrapolated from data derived from the PK of healthy volunteers. Methods: We performed a full review of published studies addressing the PK of intravenous b-lactam antibiotics given to infected ICU patients. Study selection comprised a comprehensive bibliographic search of the PubMed database and bibliographic references in relevant reviews from January 1966 to December 2010. We selected only English-language articles reporting studies addressing b-lactam antibiotics that had been described in at least five previously published studies. Studies of the PK of patients undergoing renal replacement therapy were excluded. Results: A total of 57 studies addressing six different b-lactam antibiotics (meropenem, imipenem, piperacillin, cefpirome, cefepime and ceftazidime) were selected. Significant PK heterogeneity was noted, with a broad, more than twofold variation both of volume of distribution and of drug clearance (Cl). The correlation of antibiotic Cl with creatinine clearance was usually reported. Consequently, in ICU patients, b-lactam antibiotic half-life and T > MIC were virtually unpredictable, especially in those patients with normal renal function. A better PD profile was usually obtained by prolonged or even continuous infusion. Tissue penetration was also found to be compromised in critically ill patients with septic shock. Conclusions: The PK of b-lactam antibiotics are heterogeneous and largely unpredictable in ICU patients. Consequently, the dosing of antibiotics should be supported by PK concepts, including data derived from studies of the PK of ICU patients and therapeutic drug monitoring. Keywords: administration, dosage, b?β?-lactam antibiotics, microdialysis, pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, ICU Introduction when a Gram-negative infection is suspected. However, Infection and sepsis, whether community- or hospital- the efficacy of antibiotics is not easily evaluated, since acquired, are important causes of morbidity and mortal- the clinical response is usually unnoticeable before 48 ity in ICU patients [1,2]. Despite all of the research, sep- hours of therapy [3]. Moreover, the unavailability of rou- sis therapy continues to depend on supportive tine therapeutic drug monitoring for the great majority management of the different organ dysfunctions and of these drugs makes it difficult to distinguish clinical failures and on specific therapy for infection with timely failure due to underdosing from lack of in vivo organism and appropriate antibiotics and/or focus control. susceptibility. The b-lactam antibiotics, because of their large anti- Considerable evidence demonstrates that free drug microbial spectrum and low toxicity, are among the time above bacteria minimal inhibitory concentration (f first-line therapies for critically ill patients, especially T > MIC) is the measure of drug exposure most closely linked to the ability of b-lactam antibiotics to kill the target bacteria [4]. T > MIC is dependent on the half- * Correspondence: [email protected] life (T )ofb-lactam antibiotics and their serum 1Polyvalent Intensive Care Unit, São Francisco Xavier Hospital, Estrada do 1/2 Forte do Alto do Duque, 1449-005 Lisboa, Portugal concentration. Full list of author information is available at the end of the article © 2011 Gonçalves-Pereira and Póvoa; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Gonçalves-Pereira and Póvoa Critical Care 2011, 15:R206 Page 2 of 17 http://ccforum.com/content/15/5/R206 The serum concentration of an antibiotic depends on Moreover in ICU patients, maldistribution of blood the dose delivered, its bioavailability and its volume of flow in the microcirculation [10], namely, in patients in distribution (Vd). Vd is a mathematical construct and septic shock, may further decrease the drug concentra- refers to the size of a compartment necessary to account tion in the infected tissue [11]. These pharmacokinetic for the total amount of the drug, assuming that its con- (PK) changes are sometimes influenced by the clinical centration in the whole body is equal to that measured course of the infection itself [12]. Consequently, PK in plasma. Drugs that distribute essentially in the extra- parameters measured in healthy volunteers may not cor- cellular fluid (mainly hydrophilic) have low Vd, whilst rectly predict concentrations in septic ICU patients, par- drugs that have rapid cellular uptake (lipophilic) have ticularly early in the course of a severe infection [13,14]. high Vd[5,6]. Ideally, individualized dosing strategies should account Both Vd and drug clearance (Cl) may be increased in for the altered PK and pathogen susceptibility in each ICU patients [7]. Therapeutic procedures, notably patient. Despite the fact that some studies addressed large-volume and blood products infusions, positive this issue, this information had not yet been aggregated. pressure ventilation, surgical procedures, capillary leak Furthermore, b-lactam antibiotic PK are rarely analysed and reduction in albumin serum concentration all con- outside clinical trials. Therefore, we performed a sys- tribute to alter the concentration-time relationship of tematic review of studies that addressed the PK para- b many drugs. A rise in the Vd, although it reduces drug meters of -lactam antibiotics in ICU patients to assess b concentration, might proportionally increase T1/2, the relationship between dose and schedule of -lactam since T1/2 = Vd/(Cl × 0.693) [7]. On the contrary, a antibiotics and their adequacy according to pharmaco- high Cl may reduce the exposure of antibiotics to bac- dynamic (PD) end points. We also reviewed studies teria (Figure 1). assessing the concentrations of b-lactam antibiotics in Renal Cl may be increased in septic patients because different tissues. Our primary intention was to aggregate of increased renal blood flow. This has recently been PK information in this particular population and to con- shown to be a common finding in ICU patients, particu- tribute to the design of individualized dosing regimens larly surgical and trauma patients [8] but also septic of these drugs. medical patients [9]. Besides, in the study by Baptista et We also included studies that involved the develop- al. [9], the authors showed that commonly used formu- ment of PD models using PK of ICU patients and bac- las used to calculate glomerular filtration rate usually terial MICs. These techniques allow the calculation of underestimate creatinine (Cr) Cl. Consequently, these the presumed T > MIC and therefore the percentage of authors recommended direct Cr Cl measurement. patients in which the antibiotic will achieve its PD Figure 1 ICU patients present pharmacokinetic changes of antibiotics that may alter bacterial exposure. Concentration-time curve of antibiotics in healthy volunteers (left panel). A large volume of distribution (Vd) (middle panel) is often present in ICU patients, leading to decreased maximum concentration (Cmax) but a longer half-life (T1/2) and eventually higher time that the antibiotic concentration is above the bacteria minimum inhibitory concentration (T > MIC). The antibiotic area under the concentration time curve (AUC) remains virtually the same. An increase in drug clearance (Cl) (right) is associated with decreases in AUC, T1/2 and T > MIC. Straight dotted lines-bacteria minimum inhibitory concentration. Gonçalves-Pereira and Póvoa Critical Care 2011, 15:R206 Page 3 of 17 http://ccforum.com/content/15/5/R206 target: that is, the antibiotic’s probability of target attain- bibliographic references from relevant articles, including ment (PTA) [15,16]. The cumulative fraction of reviews on this subject and all selected studies. The response (CFR) is calculated by multiplying the PTA search terms used were ‘antibiotic’ or ‘carbapenem’ or obtained for each MIC by the MIC distribution accord- ‘penicillins’ or ‘cephalosporins’, and ‘intensive care’ or ing to a microbiological database [16]. ‘critically ill’ or ‘critical care’ or ‘severe sepsis’ or ‘septic shock’,and‘pharmacokinetics’ or ‘pharmacodynamics’. Materials and methods All relevant studies in the English-language literature The data for this review were identified by a search of that described antibiotic PK in critically ill patients were PubMed (January 1966 to December 2010) as well as assessed (Figure 2). 234 Articles evaluated 50 not evaluating Pharmacokinetics 10 Pharmacokinetic models 15 children only 1 non iv route 3 non humans 19 not ȕ-Lactams 15 non critically ill patients 21 elective prophylaxis use 2 single patient Pharmacokinetics 7 non english language 15 articles selected from reference 35 Use of Renal Replacement Therapy articles bibliography