ABSTRACT
STUDY OBJECTIVE: To evaluate epidemiology, resistance, and treatment outcomes of Acinetobacter baumannii bacteremia treated with imipenem-cilastatin or ampicillin-sulbactam for 72 hours or longer. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis. SETTING: University teaching hospital. PATIENTS: Forty-eight patients with A. baumannii bacteremia. INTERVENTION: Evaluation of susceptibility and clinical data from 48 patients treated with either ampicillin-sulbactam or imipenem-cilastatin from 1987-1999. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Comparing ampicillin-sulbactam and imipenem-cilastatin, there were no differences between days of bacteremia (4 vs 2 days, p=0.05), days to resolution of temperature or white blood cell count, success or failure during or at end of treatment, or intensive care unit total or antibiotic-related length of stay (13 vs 10 days, p=0.05). Patients treated with ampicillin-sulbactam had significantly decreased antibiotic treatment costs (1500 dollars vs 500 dollars, p=0.004). CONCLUSION: Ampicillin-sulbactam is at least as effective as imipenem-cilastatin based on clinical response at days 2, 7, and end of treatment and is a cost-effective alternative for treatment of A. baumannii infections.
