Tigecycline-associated hypofibrinogenemia in a real-world setting.

Background Tigecycline is a broad-spectrum antibiotic used to treat infections that do not respond to first-line treatments. High-doses and extended treatments are common; therefore, adverse events might be more frequent and severe than those observed in clinical trials. Several case-reports have referred hypofibrinogenemia in patients who received tigecycline. Objective To analyse the impact of tigecycline use on coagulation parameters, and identify which variables could be related with this. Setting The study was performed at Hospital Universitari Vall Hebron, in Barcelona, Spain. Method Observational, retrospective study. All patients older than 18, who received tigecycline for > 72 h from January 2016 to March 2018 were included. Clinical and laboratory data from before, during and at the end of tigecycline treatment were retrospectively collected. Differences between means were analyzed using the paired-sample Student's t-test. Binary logistic regression was performed to identify risk factors for hypofibrinogenemia. Main outcome measure Mean difference in fibrinogen plasma concentration and INR, before and at the end of tigecycline treatment. Results 78 patients (mean age 65; SD ± 15.5 years) were identified. The most common indications for tigecycline treatment were abdominal (66%), respiratory tract (16%) and skin&soft tissue (10%) infections. High-dose tigecycline was used in 62% of cases and the median duration of treatment was 12 days. Hypofibrinogenemia occurred in 12 patients, 5 bleeding events were observed and 4 of them required fibrinogen administration. Tigecycline caused significant alterations in fibrinogen plasma concentration (mean decrease 1.76 g/L; IC 95% 1.36 to 2.15) as well as INR (mean increase 0.11; IC 95% 0.05 to 0.17). Both were recovered after treatment cessation. We identified duration of treatment > 4 weeks (OR = 6.6), high-dose tigecycline (OR = 4.75) and high protein C levels (OR = 4.2) as independent variables associated with fibrinogen decrease, but not renal impairment. Conclusions Tigecycline administration has been related with hypofibrinogenemia, especially when high-doses of tigecycline are used. Health professionals should be aware of the potentially severe tigecycline-associated hypofibrinogenemia and monitor coagulation during treatment, especially when high-doses of tigecycline are used.

Evaluation of the efficiency under current use of human fibrinogen concentrate in trauma patients with life-threatening hemorrhagic disorders.

The aim of the study was to assess the influence of fibrinogen concentrate on survival when it is used in trauma patients with life-threatening hemorrhagic disorders. Secondly, to evaluate when the fibrinogen concentrate administration maximizes its efficacy, and to describe what other concomitant treatment the patients received in order to control their life-threatening hemorrhage. Retrospective, observational, and multicenter study was carried out in three trauma areas between June 2012 and June 2014. The totality of trauma patients with a documented life-threatening hemorrhage who received a fibrinogen concentrate prescription was included in the study. Demographic and analytical data, admission diagnosis, treatment indication, fibrinogen concentrate dose, survival after 1 and 7 days, hospitalization time, and concomitant blood product treatment were collected. One hundred and twenty-three patients were finally included. The mean dose of fibrinogen concentrate administered was 2.87 g. The mean initial fibrinogen plasma level was 1.49 g/l, which rose to 2.26 g/l. The number of patients who survived after 24 h was 80.49%, and 69.11% after 7 days. Lower fibrinogen plasma levels are statistically associated with a higher probability of death after 7 days (P = 0.004). The most suitable threshold to recommend the fibrinogen concentrate administration has been found to be 1.5 g/dl (P = 0006, after 24 h; P = 0.032, after 7 days). Finally, the most common concomitant treatment was the erythrocytes concentrate. A statistically significant relationship between lower fibrinogen plasma levels and a higher probability of death after 7 days has been found. Our data support the threshold of 1.5 g/l as the recommended level to administer fibrinogen concentrate in trauma patients.