Continuous versus intermittent vancomycin infusions in children with
severe gram-positive bacterial infections: a randomized controlled trial
Abstract
Objectives This study aimed: (a) to compare the effects of continuous
and intermittent infusions of vancomycinon the
pharmacodynamics/pharmacokinetics (PK/PD) at a dose of 40
mg.kg-1.d-1 in children; (b) to
compare the outcomes and the frequency of the drug-related adverse
effects in this population. Methods This single-center randomized
controlled trial enrolled children, admitted to the intensive care unit
over a period of 36 months (June 1, 2017–June 1, 2020), and required
vancomycin therapy. These children were randomly assigned to the CIV and
IIV groups. The demographic, indices of PK/PD, outcomes, and
drug-related adverse effects were collected and analyzed. Results Of the
92 patients randomized, 90 were included in the analysis and 2 patients
dropped out of the trial. The study was conducted on two groups: the IIV
group (n = 50) and the CIV group (n = 40) and various parameters were
compared. The plateau concentration in the CIV group was higher than the
trough concentration in the IIV group (15.22 mg.L-1
vs. 6.25 mg.L-1, P < 0.05). The AUC0–24/MIC
of the IIV group was lower (median 391.45, IQR 251.45–898.16) compared
to that of the CIV group (429.60, IQR 220.92–769.20; P >
0.05). None of the two groups showed any significant difference in the
clinical prognosis or the drug-induced nephrotoxicity. Conclusions
Therefore, CIV can assist in attaining the target concentrations of
vancomycin more quickly in critically ill children, without increasing
the dosage. Also, the children subjected to CIV demonstrated no
difference in clinical efficacy and the rate of drug-related
nephrotoxicity.