title: Early empirical glycopeptide therapy for patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia: impact on the outcome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate whether appropriate early empirical glycopeptide therapy improves outcomes of patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteraemia.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively collected the data for all adult patients with confirmed MRSA bacteraemia diagnosed and treated at National Taiwan University Hospital during the period 1 April 1997-31 March 2001, and followed their survival up to three years. The main outcome measures were MRSA-related death and all-cause mortality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 77 MRSA-related deaths among 162 patients. There was no statistically significant difference in MRSA-related deaths between patients receiving glycopeptides before or within 48 h after blood culture (n = 43) (55%, 18/33, non-septic shock group; 90%, 9/10, septic shock group) or those whose glycopeptide therapy was begun more than 48 h after blood culture (n = 119) (37%, 40/107, non-septic shock group; 83%, 10/12, septic shock group) (P = 0.11 and 1.00, respectively). The outcome measure of all-cause mortality from 30 days to 3 years yields similar results. Multivariate logistic regression analysis and Cox analysis showed that the length of delay (daily increment) between blood culture sampling and start of glycopeptide therapy did not have a statistically significant impact on MRSA-related death or all-cause 30-day mortality after adjusting for the effect of other variables [adjusted odds ratio 0.99, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.88-1.12; adjusted hazard ratio 0.87, 95% CI 0.74-1.02, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The hypothesis that earlier empirical use of glycopeptide therapy reduces mortality in patients with hospital-acquired MRSA bacteraemia was not supported.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chi-Tai
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Wen-Yi
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Shau
authors.forename: Po-Ren
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Hsueh
authors.forename: Yee-Chun
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jann-Tay
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chien-Ching
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Hung
authors.forename: Loreen Y L
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Shan-Chwen
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology*; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D006801:Humans; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects; D017334:Teicoplanin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014640:Vancomycin / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D017334:Teicoplanin; D014640:Vancomycin