Safety of megadose meropenem in the empirical treatment of nosocomial sepsis: a pilot randomized clinical trial.

Objective: To evaluate the safety of megadose meropenem as empirical treatment of nosocomial sepsis. Materials & methods: Critically ill patients diagnosed with sepsis received either high-dose (2 g every 8 h) or megadose (4 g every 8 h) meropenem as an intravenous infusion over 3 h. Results: A total of 23 patients with nosocomial sepsis were eligible and included in the megadose (n = 11) or high-dose (n = 12) group. No treatment-related adverse events were observed during a 14-day follow-up. Clinical response was also comparable between the groups. Conclusion: Megadose meropenem may be considered for empirical treatment of nosocomial sepsis without serious concern regarding its safety.

As resistance to antibiotics is increasing among microbes, rational use of these drugs is important both in the community and in hospitals. Many infections with resistant microorganisms may be fatal. For a long time, carbapenems have been the last resort for treatment of resistant microorganisms. Unfortunately, resistance to these drugs is increasing. It appears that use of higher doses of antibiotics may help in some cases. However, the potential harm caused by higher doses is a problem. In this primary study, higher doses of meropenem, a common carbapenem, were found to be safe.

Multi-Modal Preemptive Analgesia With Pregabalin, Acetaminophen, Naproxen, and Dextromethorphan in Radical Neck Dissection Surgery: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: Preemptive analgesia may be considered as a method not only to alleviate postoperative pain but also to decrease analgesic consumption. Different regimens are suggested, but there is currently no standard. OBJECTIVES: The aim was to measure the efficacy of preemptive analgesia with pregabalin, acetaminophen, naproxen, and dextromethorphan in radical neck dissection surgery for reducing the intensity of pain and morphine consumption. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study was conducted as a randomized double-blind clinical trial. Eighty adult patients (18 to 60 years of age) under the American society of anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I and II undergoing elective radical neck dissection were enrolled. Patients were randomized into two groups of 40 with a simple randomization method. The case group received a combination of 15 mg/kg acetaminophen, 2.5 mg/kg pregabalin, 7 mg/kg naproxen, and 0.3 mg/kg dextromethorphan administered orally one hour prior to surgery. Postoperative pain was assessed with the universal pain assessment tool (UPAT) at 0, 2, 4, 6, 12, and 24 hours after surgery. Subjects received morphine based on postoperative pain control protocol. Total administered morphine doses were noted. RESULTS: Postoperative pain rates at 0, 2, 4, 6, 12, and 24 hours after surgery were significantly lower for the case group than the control group (P values = 0.014, 0.003, 0.00, 0.00, and 0.00, respectively). Total morphine doses for the preemptive analgesia group were 45% lower than those of the other group. Side effects were similar for both groups. CONCLUSIONS: A single preoperative oral dose of pregabalin, acetaminophen, dextromethorphan, and naproxen one hour before surgery is an effective method for reducing postoperative pain and morphine consumption in patients undergoing radical neck dissection.

Atorvastatin for Prevention of Amikacin-induced Electrolytes Imbalances; a Randomized Clinical Trial.

Aminoglycosides are still widely used for treatment of gram-negative sepsis in critically ill patients. The most reported electrolyte abnormalities related to these drugs are hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia, and hypocalcemia.In this study potential benefit of atorvastatin in prevention of amikacin-induced electrolytes imbalances has been evaluated. In this trial 44 patients were assigned to the atorvastatin or placebo group based on the simple randomization method. Atorvastatin group received amikacinwith dose of 15 mg/kg/day in two equal divided doses every 12 h as intravenous infusion during 30 min and atorvastatin 40 mg tablet as daily oral dose for 7 days. Patients in the placebo group received same dose of amikacinand placebo tablet (Placebo group) for at least 7 days. Serum electrolytes (sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphor and magnesium) concentrations, blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine levels were measured at day 0 and end of the study. Baseline mean ± SDof serum potassium concentration in the atorvastatin and placebo group was 4.07± 0.37 and 4.15 ± 0.53 meq/l respectively (p=0.88). Serum potassium concentration remained unchanged at the end of the study in the atorvastatin group (P=0.61) but significantly decreased from 4.15 ± 0.53 to 3.80 ± 0.55meq/l in the placebo group at day 7(P = 0.02).In this pilot study, atorvastatin as 40 mg daily oral dose prevented renal potassium loss during course of amikacin therapy in the critically ill patients. In the future well designed randomized clinical trials with adequate sample size,renoprotective effects of statins should be examined.