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INTRODUCTION: Colistin is used to treat hospital-acquired pneumonia and ventilator-associated pneumonia. However, direct drug deposition at the site of infection may improve its efficacy and reduce systemic exposure. The aim of this study was to assess the safety and tolerability of nebulized colistin among Indian patients diagnosed with pneumonia caused by multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacilli in real-world settings. METHODOLOGY: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients treated with nebulized colistin for pneumonia. We assessed the adverse events and relevant abnormal laboratory findings of nebulized colistin therapy. RESULTS: All enrolled patients (N=30, males: 22, females: 8; average age: 71.06 years) were treated for 13.36 days. Almost 80% of patients had a history of shortness of breath, which was a major symptom when they were admitted to the hospital. The patients were administered nebulized colistin for an average of six days (8 hours per day). The most common dosing schedule was 1 million international units (MIU)/8 hours. No serious adverse event was observed, and only one patient died while on the treatment but the death was not related to colistin treatment. The average sequential organ failure assessment score for all patients was 6.5. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated the efficient clinical utility and well-tolerated safety profile of nebulized colistin in the treatment of patients with pneumonia. Neurotoxicity and nephrotoxicity were not reported. Since a significant percentage of patients were with chronic respiratory diseases, our study further indicates the safety and effectiveness of nebulized colistin in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients too.
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BACKGROUND: Pulmonary renal syndrome (PRS) is a simultaneous occurrence of diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) and glomerulonephritis (GN). The diagnosis of PRS not only requires a high index of clinical suspicion and prompt management, but it is often fatal due to rapidly progressive clinical deterioration despite aggressive treatment. The authors, therefore, share the real-world experience of PRS presenting to tertiary care pulmonary center in north India. AIMS: The objectives of the study were to identify etiology, clinical manifestations, treatment modalities and outcomes of patients presenting with PRS. MATERIALS & METHODS: This was a retrospective observational study undertaken at Metro Centre for Respiratory Diseases of patients diagnosed with PRS during the last two years between 2019 and 2021. The patients diagnosed with PRS based on clinical manifestations, serology and biopsies were included in the study. All cases of non-immunological causes of PRS were excluded from the study. Chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests were done to look for associations obtained between survivors and non-survivors. Cox regression analysis was done to estimate the hazard ratios of clinical variables on survival in PRS patients. RESULTS: A total of 12 patients of PRS were included in the study and diagnosis was made based on clinical manifestations, serology as well as biopsies. The mean age of presentation was 45.4 (± 17.8) years and 66.7% of the patients were females. The most common etiology was anti-nuclear cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) seen in 83.3% of the cases. The most common symptoms were coughing and fever (80%) followed by dyspnea and hemoptysis (70%) with the mean duration of symptoms being 17.1 (±8.9) days. The mortality of PRS patients in our study was 41.6% and these patients had a higher acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) score (median-26) compared to those patients who survived (median - 15.8). CONCLUSION: The occurrence of PRS, although rare, presents with rapid clinical deterioration leading to a high mortality rate. AAV was the most common cause of PRS as observed in our study. Early recognition and prompt aggressive management strategies with immunosuppressant therapies are essential for better outcomes for the patients.
