Chen-Hsiang Lee, I-Ling Chen, Chia-Chin Li, Chun-Chih Chien

Cefotaxime-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CE) infections are intractable, with limited treatment options. Though carbapenems are frequently prescribed for CE infections, the emergence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae is of huge concern. Flomoxef is effective against CE in vitro, and some clinical data on its demonstrated effectiveness against CE bloodstream infections (BSIs) exists. We conducted a retrospective study on adults with BSI caused by flomoxef-susceptible CE to investigate the efficacy of flomoxef compared with that of ertapenem. The outcome was evaluated with propensity score-based matching and logistic regression analysis. Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients treated with flomoxef (n = 58) or ertapenem (n = 188) were compared. In the multivariate analysis, severe sepsis (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 3.84; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.16-12.78;p= 0.03), high BSI mortality score (AOR = 5.59; 95% CI, 2.37-13.21;p< 0.01), ultimately or rapidly fatal comorbidity (AOR = 10.60; 95% CI, 3.43-32.75;p< 0.01), and pneumonia (AOR = 10.11; 95% CI, 3.43-29.81;p< 0.01) were independently associated with 28-day mortality. Using propensity scores, 58 flomoxef-treated patients were matched to 116 ertapenem-treated patients. There were no intergroup differences in BSI severity, comorbidity, or BSI sources. The 28-day mortality rates (20.7% vs 13.8%,p= 0.28) did not differ significantly. However, hospitalization length was shorter in the ertapenem group (10.2 ± 8.5 vs. 14.6 ± 9.4 days,p< 0.01). Although similar outcomes were observed between the groups, ertapenem therapy was associated with a shorter hospitalization time in adults after CE BSI.