[Tigecycline for treatment of severe infections in intensive care: a drug use evaluation]

Objectives: To report our experience of tigecycline use in a medical and surgical intensive care unit. To describe its prescription, microbiology findings, tolerance and efficacy.

Study design: Prospective, observational, single center study.

Patients and methods: All consecutive patients treated with tigecycline were included. Demography, indication of treatment, bacteriology before, during and in the month after treatment and ICU mortality were collected. The main endpoints were clinical and microbiological efficacy and tolerance.

Results: Twenty-four patients were included. In half of the cases, tigecycline was prescribed in monotherapy for a complicated intra-abdominal infection. Overall tolerance of tigecycline was good. Clinical and microbiological cure was obtained in six cases, not obtained in nine, indeterminate in six cases and not evaluable in the three cases of prophylaxis. During the treatment, four bacteria commonly sensitives were shown to be resistant to tigecycline.

Conclusion: Our pilot study on 24 patients suggests that tigecycline is well tolerated in critically ill patients. Clinical cure in severe infections was compromised in nine patients essentially because of resistant pathogens suggesting its prescription on antibiogram. However, the impact of association or the increasing doses in severe critically ill patients should be evaluated.