In a surprising study, a commonly used antibiotic has been found to be associated with a possibly increased risk of death among patients.
As per study published in JAMA Network Open, the research examined nearly 110 randomised clinical trials involving over 22,000 patients who received cefepime or another beta-lactam antibiotic.
Cefepime uses
Cefepime is a commonly used antibiotic, which is widely used to treat serious bacterial infections, including pneumonia, urinary tract infections (UTI’s), meningitis and infections in patients with febrile neutropenia.
For the study, scientists discovered nearly 778 of 11,726 patients treated with cefepime died, representing 6.6%, compared with 6.2% among patients getting other antibiotics.
Scientists assessed deaths from any cause occurring within about 30 days of treatment.
Using a Bayesian meta-analysis, scientists projected a 94.4% probability that cefepime was linked to increased all-cause mortality than other beta-lactam antibiotics.
That probability saw an exponential raise to 98.6% when the analysis was limited to 73 peer-reviewed studies.
The association appeared stronger among adults and was particularly pronounced in patients with febrile neutropenia.
However, the scientists didn’t recommend stopping cefepime and stressed that the findings show a link instead of proof that the drug itself causes deaths.
They noted that both insufficient and excessive drug levels could contribute to poorer outcomes. Underdosing may make it harder to control infections, while excessive levels can increase the risk of neurotoxicity, which may cause confusion, reduced consciousness or seizures.
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The study had limitations, including differences in trial designs, patient populations, dosing strategies and comparison drugs. Some studies also dated back several decades.
Dr. Marc Siegel, who was not involved in the research, stated appropriate dosing may be important and suggested artificial intelligence could potentially help determine individualized antibiotic doses in the future.
