The absolute RD between linezolid and vancomycin for microbiological eradication based on the microbiologically evaluable and per protocol population (N=600) was 0.056 955% CI −0.022 to 0.133; p=0.159; I=0%; figure 4A).
In the VAP subpopulation (63 patients: 30 received SD and 33 HD), the clinical cure rate and microbiological eradication percentage were higher when TGC was used at higher doses (57.6% vs. 33.3%; P = 0.08 and 57.1% vs. 30.4%; P = 0.1).
There was no particular difference among patients receiving AMK as the first-line therapy compared to others for microbiological eradication (31/40 vs. 12/18, P = 0.51), clinical cure (35/41 vs. 15/19, P = 0.71) and mortality (10/41 vs. 6/22, P = 1.00).
The former group showed a higher rate of microbiologically confirmed infections but a lower percentage of microbiological eradication (80.7% vs. 58%, p = 0.02; 35.3% vs 68%; p = 0.03, respectively).
Microbiological eradication was attained in four of the five patients for whom follow-up cultures were available (in 50% of the patients who received nebulized colistin).
Fifth, we could not provide any data on the appropriateness of the first-line therapy (that is β-lactams) concentrations, which could have been an additional determinant in the evaluation of microbiological eradication and clinical cure.
Microbiological eradication was defined as a negative culture, i.e. no pathogen isolated in tracheal aspiration.
However, when both agents are active, the benefit of combination therapy over adequate monotherapy has not been proven in terms of clinical cure or microbiological eradication [129 131].
To analyze the efficacy of nebulized colistin in the microbiological eradication and clinical improvement of patients with pulmonary infection by multi-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MAB).
The meta-analysis of Valachis et al. [28] reported a statistically significant improvement in clinical response and microbiological eradication (OR 1.57; 95 % CI [1.14 2.15]; p = 0.006 and OR 1.61; 95 % CI [1.11 2.35]; p = 0.01, respectively).
