No abstract

A delay in the initiation of fluconazole therapy in hospitalized patients with candidemia significantly impacted mortality. New methods to avoid delays in appropriate antifungal therapy, such as rapid diagnostic tests or identification of unique risk factors, are needed.

Recent clinical data on vancomycin pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics suggest a reevaluation of current dosing and monitoring recommendations. The previous 2009 vancomycin consensus guidelines recommend trough monitoring as a surrogate marker for the target area under the curve over 24 hours to minimum inhibitory concentration (AUC/MIC). However, recent data suggest that trough monitoring is associated with higher nephrotoxicity. This document is an executive summary of the new vancomycin consensus guidelines for vancomycin dosing and monitoring. It was developed by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, and the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists vancomycin consensus guidelines committee. These consensus guidelines recommend an AUC/MIC ratio of 400–600 mg*hour/L (assuming a broth microdilution MIC of 1 mg/L) to achieve clinical efficacy and ensure safety for patients being treated for serious methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections.

The similarity between the IBW equations was a result of the general agreement among the various height-weight tables from which they were derived. Therefore, any one of these equations may be used to estimate IBW.

This study indicates that vancomycin may not be useful for treating serious methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections with MIC values > 1 mg/L where PTA is questionable. Since an AUC/MIC ratio ≥ 400 is target associated with efficacy, one should consider incorporating computation of AUC when monitoring vancomycin.