meropenem and Anaphylaxis

To compare meropenem with ciprofloxacin for treatment of gram-negative bacilli sepsis in penicillin-allergic patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) to determine if increased anaphylaxis risk with meropenem precluded its use when weighed against risks of inactive therapy with ciprofloxacin.. A decision model constructed from probability distributions from the literature and data from a local ICU antibiogram. A probabilistic sensitivity analysis was performed to evaluate uncertainty in variable estimates by using one-way analyses, two-way analyses, and Monte Carlo simulation.. Microbiologic activity of treatment, anaphylaxis according to treatment regimen, curability of infection according to patient morbidity status, risk of superinfection, and recovery from gram-negative bacilli sepsis were the variables modeled. Effectiveness was defined by long-term survival and was modeled as life-years (LYs) and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) gained according to treatment group. Base case results were the incremental differences between the average effectiveness of each strategy calculated from the Monte Carlo simulation. Mean LYs and QALYs gained with meropenem were 9.9 (95% confidence interval [CI] 8.9-10.8) and 5.9 (95% CI 4.8-6.7), respectively. Mean LYs and QALYs gained with ciprofloxacin were 8.9 (95% CI 8.1-9.6) and 5.3 (95% CI 4.4-6.3), respectively. The incremental difference in effectiveness-or average benefit expected by selecting meropenem over ciprofloxacin-was 1.0 LY (95% CI 0.3-1.7 LYs) and 0.6 QALY (95% CI 0.2-1.1 QALYs) favoring meropenem.. Use of empiric meropenem over ciprofloxacin may be justified in patients in the ICU who are allergic to penicillin.

Topics: Anaphylaxis; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Ciprofloxacin; Decision Trees; Drug Hypersensitivity; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections; Humans; Meropenem; Penicillins; Quality-Adjusted Life Years; Sepsis; Survival Analysis; Thienamycins

Distributive shock is a hyperdynamic process resulting from excessive vasodilatation. Impaired blood flow causes inadequate tissue perfusion, which can lead to end-organ damage. Although the most common etiology is septic shock, anaphylactic and other etiologies should be considered.. We report the case of a 30-year-old female who presented to the emergency department with nonspecific symptoms and hypotension after a viral upper respiratory infection. Her physical examination revealed mild edema and rebound tenderness in the right upper and bilateral lower quadrants. She also presented with hypotension concomitant with hypoperfusion symptoms, which were manifested by the loss of consciousness in the hour after her presentation. Neither etiologic agent nor drug use history was provided at the presentation; these may have caused anaphylaxis; however, she later reported that she took a propolis extract 1 day earlier. The hypotensive state was refractory to large amount of crystalloid infusion and a series of examinations were performed to determine the shock etiology. Computed tomography images showed pneumonic infiltrates in the lower zone of the right lung, an enlarged liver, a thickened gallbladder wall, and an extensive amount of free fluid in the perihepatic and retroperitoneal areas. All radiologic changes were thought to be due to a secondary condition that triggers them, none were considered as septic focus. Capillary leak syndrome was considered in differential diagnosis and 3 days after her presentation, her hypotension improved and she was discharged in a healthy state. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Capillary leak syndrome is a variant of distributive shock. After assessing other etiologies for this condition, emergency physicians should focus on a triggering event that may have caused hypoalbuminemia and a fluid shift.

Topics: Adult; Anaphylaxis; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Capillary Leak Syndrome; Diagnosis, Differential; Emergency Service, Hospital; Female; Headache; Humans; Hypotension; Meropenem; Myalgia; Norepinephrine; Sepsis; Shock; Thienamycins; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Vasodilation; Vasodilator Agents; Vomiting