Bolus Versus Continuous Infusion of Meropenem

Summary

This study arises from the need to optimize antibacterial drug usage to face increasing drug resistance among gram-negative pathogens in intensive care units. Gram-negative organisms are responsible for 70% of drug-resistant infections acquired in the intensive care unit. Meropenem is a β-lactam, carbapenem, antibacterial agent usually administered by intermittent infusion. As β-lactam efficacy is determined by the time in which the drug concentration exceeds the minimum inhibiting concentration of the target pathogen, intermittent infusion of this short half-lived drug can lead to precipitous drops in serum drug levels, an occurrence linked to emergence of resistant pathogens. The investigators hypothesize a beneficial effect of a continuous meropenem infusion on mortality and emergence of drug resistant pathogens. All patients enrolled will receive 1 g of meropenem bolus. After that, subjects will be randomized to receive a continuous infusion of study drug 3g/day or a bolus administration of the same amount of drugs. The investigators expect a reduction of mortality and emergence of extensive or pan drug resistant pathogens from 52 to 40% in the continuous infusion group.

Timeline

Start

2018-06-05

Primary completion

2022-10-01

Completion

2022-12-01

Publications

• Background Monti G, Galbiati C, Toffoletto F, Calabro MG, Colombo S, Ferrara B, Giardina G, Lembo R, Marzaroli M, Moizo E, Mucci M, Pasculli N, Plumari VP, Scandroglio AM, Tozzi M, Momesso E, Boffa N, Lobreglio R, Montrucchio G, Guarracino F, Benedetto U, Biondi-Zoccai G, D'Ascenzo F, D'Andrea N, Paternoster G, Ananiadou S, Ballestra M, De Sio A, Pota V, Cotoia A, Della Selva A, Bruni A, Iapichino G, Bradic N, Corradi F, Gemma M, Nogtev P, Petrova M, Agro FE, Cabrini L, Forfori F, Likhvantsev V, Bove T, Finco G, Landoni G, Zangrillo A; Collaborators. Continuous infusion versus intermittent administration of meropenem in critically ill patients (MERCY): A multicenter randomized double-blind trial. Rationale and design. Contemp Clin Trials. 2021 May;104:106346. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2021.106346. Epub 2021 Mar 6.
• Results Monti G, Bradic N, Marzaroli M, Konkayev A, Fominskiy E, Kotani Y, Likhvantsev VV, Momesso E, Nogtev P, Lobreglio R, Redkin I, Toffoletto F, Bruni A, Baiardo Redaelli M, D'Andrea N, Paternoster G, Scandroglio AM, Gallicchio F, Ballestra M, Calabro MG, Cotoia A, Perone R, Cuffaro R, Montrucchio G, Pota V, Ananiadou S, Lembo R, Musu M, Rauch S, Galbiati C, Pinelli F, Pasin L, Guarracino F, Santarpino G, Agro FE, Bove T, Corradi F, Forfori F, Longhini F, Cecconi M, Landoni G, Bellomo R, Zangrillo A; MERCY Investigators. Continuous vs Intermittent Meropenem Administration in Critically Ill Patients With Sepsis: The MERCY Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2023 Jul 11;330(2):141-151. doi: 10.1001/jama.2023.10598.

Drugs

Indications