Daptomycin for the treatment of gram-positive infections after cardiac surgery

• Published in: Medizinische Klinik, Intensivmedizin und Notfallmedizin Intensivmedizin und Notfallmedizin, 2013-02, Vol.108 (1), p.59
• Main Authors: Luchting, B, Weis, F, Heyn, J, Beiras-Fernandez, A
• Format: Article
• Language: ger
• Subjects: Anti-Bacterial Agents - adverse effects; Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use; Cardiac Surgical Procedures; Critical Care; Cross Infection - drug therapy; Daptomycin - adverse effects; Daptomycin - therapeutic use; Enterococcus faecalis - drug effects; Enterococcus faecium - drug effects; Female; Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections - drug therapy; Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation; Humans; Infusions, Intravenous; Male; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus - drug effects; Middle Aged; Pacemaker, Artificial; Retrospective Studies; Staphylococcal Infections - drug therapy; Staphylococcus epidermidis - drug effects; Surgical Wound Infection - drug therapy; Vancomycin Resistance
• ISSN: 2193-6226
• DOI: 10.1007/s00063-012-0163-5

Surgical infection remains a main cause of death after heart surgery, despite advances in pharmacological therapy. Daptomycin is a cyclic lipopeptide antibiotic, useful in gram-positive organisms resistant to standard treatment, including vancomycin. The aim of this study was to describe the use of daptomycin regarding efficacy, efficiency and safety in patients with gram-positive infections after heart surgery using a retrospective analysis on 49 adult patients. Daptomycin shows excellent in vitro and in vivo activity against gram-positive organisms, such as Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, especially MRSA. Daptomycin is also effective against increasing vancomycin-resistant or vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus.