The use of vancomycin — a powerful antibiotic often considered the last resort in the treatment of bacterial infections — is a focal point of a clinical study at UNMC and other medical centers in the U.S. and Europe.
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Mark Rupp, M.D. |
One of the goals of the formula is to limit the use of vancomycin.
“We know some patients get vancomycin for longer than they need,” said Mark Rupp, M.D., chief of the UNMC section of infectious diseases. “We’re trying to figure out where that sweet middle ground is of treating patients with the right antibiotic for the right amount of time rather than under- or over-treating them.”
Find the right treatment
In the study, a treatment formula will be used for hospitalized patients with staph infections acquired through central venous catheters that:
- Stipulates what tests to run; and
- Depending on what species of staph the patient has, what treatment to use and for how long.
The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, is led by Duke University Medical Center and will involve 500 hospitalized patients in the U.S. and Europe.
On a collision course
The impetus for the study is antibiotic resistance is at an all-time high and development of new antibiotics is at an all-time low.
“Increasing antibiotic resistance and decreasing new drug discovery are like two trains speeding down the track toward a collision,” Dr. Rupp said. “When the collision occurs, we’ll have patients with infections due to resistant bacteria that we are not able to treat with any antibiotic.”