title: Is combination therapy for carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae the new standard of care?
abstract: Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae causes serious nosocomial infections and therapeutic options are limited. There is increasing evidence suggesting that combination antibiotic therapy is more effective than monotherapy and leads to better outcomes. However, questions remain about which regimen is optimal and how to balance the potential benefits of combination therapy versus the risks and possible complications (e.g., toxicity, increased costs, Clostridium difficile infection). Well-designed randomized clinical trials are needed to clarify these issues.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Richard R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Watkins
authors.forename: Stan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Deresinski
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015780:Carbapenems / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007710:Klebsiella Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D007711:Klebsiella pneumoniae / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D018440:beta-Lactam Resistance / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D015780:Carbapenems
keywords: carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae; combination antibiotic therapy