Aim: We reviewed the clinical use of daptomycin in daily practice.
Materials & methods: Efficacy and safety were assessed in 175 consecutive patients given daptomycin for at least 72 h.
Results: Daptomycin was given as rescue treatment in 50.9% of cases. Bloodstream infection (34.8%) and skin/soft-tissue infection (19.4%) were the most frequent. In 62.3% of patients, the dose of ≤ 6 mg/kg/day was administered. Staphylococcus spp. were isolated in 52.6% of cases (MRSA in 9.5%, CoNS in 34.3%) and Enterococcus spp. in 8.7%. Clinical success was 75% and microbiological eradication 48.6%. Two patients discontinued daptomycin due to hemolytic anemia of unlikely and possible relationship with daptomycin, respectively.
Conclusion: Daptomycin was effective and well tolerated in patients with severe Gram-positive infections.
Keywords: Gram-positive infections; bacteremia; clinical outcome; daptomycin; retrospective study.