A Comparison of Nephrotoxicity in Non-Intensive Care Unit Medical/Surgical Patients Receiving Vancomycin Alone Versus Vancomycin With Piperacillin-Tazobactam—Do We Need to Ban This Combination ?

摘要

Eberle et al from Regional One Health in Memphis, Tennessee, publish in this issue of the journal a study where they examined whether associating piperacillin/tazobactam to vancomycin will increase nephrotoxicity of this old but still widely trusted glycopcptide. The study, which is retrospective and from a single institution, enrolled 198 evaluable patients (out of a total of 867 retained in a first round of selection) over a period of 6 months in 2015 to 2016. The results are straightforward, with vancomycin-attributable nephrotoxicity rising from 5.6% to 18.4% when comparing patients receiving vancomycin only versus those with combination therapy.