scispace - formally typeset
Search or ask a question
Author

Roberto Andini

Bio: Roberto Andini is an academic researcher from University of Naples Federico II. The author has contributed to research in topics: Colistin & Medicine. The author has an hindex of 14, co-authored 36 publications receiving 960 citations. Previous affiliations of Roberto Andini include Seconda Università degli Studi di Napoli.

Papers
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Combination therapy was not superior to monotherapy and the addition of meropenem to colistin did not improve clinical failure in severe A baumannii infections.
Abstract: Summary Background Colistin–carbapenem combinations are synergistic in vitro against carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria We aimed to test whether combination therapy improves clinical outcomes for adults with infections caused by carbapenem-resistant or carbapenemase-producing Gram-negative bacteria Methods A randomised controlled superiority trial was done in six hospitals in Israel, Greece, and Italy We included adults with bacteraemia, ventilator-associated pneumonia, hospital-acquired pneumonia, or urosepsis caused by carbapenem-non-susceptible Gram-negative bacteria Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) centrally, by computer-generated permuted blocks stratified by centre, to intravenous colistin (9-million unit loading dose, followed by 4·5 million units twice per day) or colistin with meropenem (2-g prolonged infusion three times per day) The trial was open-label, with blinded outcome assessment Treatment success was defined as survival, haemodynamic stability, improved or stable Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score, stable or improved ratio of partial pressure of arterial oxygen to fraction of expired oxygen for patients with pneumonia, and microbiological cure for patients with bacteraemia The primary outcome was clinical failure, defined as not meeting all success criteria by intention-to-treat analysis, at 14 days after randomisation This trial is registered at ClinicalTrialsgov, number NCT01732250, and is closed to accrual Findings Between Oct 1, 2013, and Dec 31, 2016, we randomly assigned 406 patients to the two treatment groups Most patients had pneumonia or bacteraemia (355/406, 87%), and most infections were caused by Acinetobacter baumannii (312/406, 77%) No significant difference between colistin monotherapy (156/198, 79%) and combination therapy (152/208, 73%) was observed for clinical failure at 14 days after randomisation (risk difference −5·7%, 95% CI −13·9 to 2·4; risk ratio [RR] 0·93, 95% CI 0·83–1·03) Results were similar among patients with A baumannii infections (RR 0·97, 95% CI 0·87–1·09) Combination therapy increased the incidence of diarrhoea (56 [27%] vs 32 [16%] patients) and decreased the incidence of mild renal failure (37 [30%] of 124 vs 25 [20%] of 125 patients at risk of or with kidney injury) Interpretation Combination therapy was not superior to monotherapy The addition of meropenem to colistin did not improve clinical failure in severe A baumannii infections The trial was unpowered to specifically address other bacteria Funding EU AIDA grant Health-F3-2011-278348

363 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results indicate that rifampicin should not be routinely combined with colistin in clinical practice, and that the increased rate of A. baumannii eradication with combination treatment could still imply a clinical benefit.
Abstract: Background Extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Acinetobacter baumannii may cause serious infections in critically ill patients. Colistin often remains the only therapeutic option. Addition of rifampicin to colistin may be synergistic in vitro. In this study, we assessed whether the combination of colistin and rifampicin reduced the mortality of XDR A. baumannii infections compared to colistin alone. Methods This multicenter, parallel, randomized, open-label clinical trial enrolled 210 patients with life-threatening infections due to XDR A. baumannii from intensive care units of 5 tertiary care hospitals. Patients were randomly allocated (1:1) to either colistin alone, 2 MU every 8 hours intravenously, or colistin (as above), plus rifampicin 600 mg every 12 hours intravenously. The primary end point was overall 30-day mortality. Secondary end points were infection-related death, microbiologic eradication, and hospitalization length. Results Death within 30 days from randomization occurred in 90 (43%) subjects, without difference between treatment arms (P = .95). This was confirmed by multivariable analysis (odds ratio, 0.88 [95% confidence interval, .46-1.69], P = .71). A significant increase of microbiologic eradication rate was observed in the colistin plus rifampicin arm (P = .034). No difference was observed for infection-related death and length of hospitalization. Conclusions In serious XDR A. baumannii infections, 30-day mortality is not reduced by addition of rifampicin to colistin. These results indicate that, at present, rifampicin should not be routinely combined with colistin in clinical practice. The increased rate of A. baumannii eradication with combination treatment could still imply a clinical benefit. Clinical trials registration NCT01577862.

319 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Observational studies and randomized clinical trials of CRE treatment are summarized, with a specific focus on the effects of monotherapy compared with combination treatment and a high risk of selection bias.

138 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe liver toxicity in 5 COVID-19 patients treated with Remdesivir (RDV) in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Monaldi Hospital, Naples, Italy, during March and April 2020.
Abstract: Novel Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection results predominantly in pulmonary involvement (Coronavirus disease 2019, COVID-19), but a direct, SARS-CoV-2-induced liver damage has also been described [1, 2]. Thus, it is important to monitor liver function and evaluate hepatic safety of drugs administered to COVID-19 patients. Remdesivir (RDV), a nucleotide analogue RNA polymerase inhibitor, originally developed and tested for Ebola virus disease, showed in vitro efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 [3], and experience on its efficacy and safety for COVID-19 is accumulating [4, 5]. However, hepatic safety of RDV in COVID-19 has not been the focus of detailed investigation. Here, we describe patterns of liver toxicity in 5 COVID-19 patients treated with RDV in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Monaldi Hospital, Naples, Italy, during March and April 2020. Overall, our Hospital cared for 32 critically ill COVID-19 patients. Treatment was given in a compassionate use program (CPU) approved by our Ethics Committee. CPU was limited to the first 5 patients of our center who fulfilled all eligibility criteria (invasive mechanical ventilation, no multiorgan failure, no vasopressor requirement, ALT levels < 5 xULN, creatinine clearance > 30 mL/min). RDV was administered intravenously as a 200 mg loading dose, followed by 100 mg daily over 1 h for up to 9 days. According to the early recommendations of the Italian Society for Infectious Diseases, Lombardy section, all patients had been previously treated with lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r, 400/100 mg twice daily po). Before and during RDV treatment, 4 of 5 patients also received hydroxychloroquine (HCQ, 200 mg twice daily po). While on RDV, no patient received acetaminophen, patient 2 and 4 received ceftazidime–avibactam plus daptomycin and patient 3 meropenem and linezolid. None of the 5 treated patients had a previous history of liver disease, visceral obesity, viral hepatitis, or prior hepatotoxic medication or alcohol intake. Liver ultrasound did not show signs of advanced liver disease. Patient 1 and 2 had a history of hypertension and asthma, respectively, but were not receiving any relevant therapy in the ICU. Figure 1 describes the dynamics of AST/ALT and bilirubin throughout the hospital stay, for each patient (Panels 1–5). In Panel 6, we report a comparison of median ALT and AST levels between RDV-treated patients and 5 COVID-19 patients who were treated in our Hospital ICU with the same schedule of LPV/r and HCQ, but without RDV. As shown in Panels 1–5, bilirubin increase occurred in 4 of 5 index patients on LPV/r. In contrast, the switch to RDV translated into a fast reduction of bilirubin and a significant increase in AST/ALT by day 3 of therapy in 4 of 5 patients. The single patient who did not receive HCQ with RDV (patient 4) did not show increase of ALT/AST levels. In no cases, RDV was discontinued because of liver injury. In patient 1, RDV was withdrawn at day 5 for a torsade de pointes requiring cardiac resuscitation, whereas patient 3 died on day 5 of RDV therapy. Final outcome was positive in 4/5 patients. Our observation supports previous findings obtained in healthy volunteers (Gilead Sciences, data on file) and COVID-19 patients treated with RDV [4, 5], suggesting this antiviral may cause hepatocellular injury. In our patients, this adverse effect neither progressed to severe liver damage nor induced liver failure, although none had a prior chronic liver disease. Although SARS-CoV-2 infection can cause aminotransferase elevation per se, 4 of our 5 patients had normal or slightly elevated AST/ALT levels at RDV treatment start, suggesting a direct role of RDV in hepatocellular toxicity. Despite the overall low number of patients * Emanuele Durante-Mangoni emanuele.durante@unicampania.it

86 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Colistin resistance as determined by BMD was associated with significantly lower mortality among patients with severe CRAB infections and colistin monotherapy wasassociated with a better outcome compared to colist in-meropenem combination therapy.
Abstract: Background We evaluated the association between mortality and colistin resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii infections and the interaction with antibiotic therapy. Methods This is a secondary anal ...

70 citations


Cited by
More filters
01 Mar 2007
TL;DR: An initiative to develop uniform standards for defining and classifying AKI and to establish a forum for multidisciplinary interaction to improve care for patients with or at risk for AKI is described.
Abstract: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a complex disorder for which currently there is no accepted definition. Having a uniform standard for diagnosing and classifying AKI would enhance our ability to manage these patients. Future clinical and translational research in AKI will require collaborative networks of investigators drawn from various disciplines, dissemination of information via multidisciplinary joint conferences and publications, and improved translation of knowledge from pre-clinical research. We describe an initiative to develop uniform standards for defining and classifying AKI and to establish a forum for multidisciplinary interaction to improve care for patients with or at risk for AKI. Members representing key societies in critical care and nephrology along with additional experts in adult and pediatric AKI participated in a two day conference in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, in September 2005 and were assigned to one of three workgroups. Each group's discussions formed the basis for draft recommendations that were later refined and improved during discussion with the larger group. Dissenting opinions were also noted. The final draft recommendations were circulated to all participants and subsequently agreed upon as the consensus recommendations for this report. Participating societies endorsed the recommendations and agreed to help disseminate the results. The term AKI is proposed to represent the entire spectrum of acute renal failure. Diagnostic criteria for AKI are proposed based on acute alterations in serum creatinine or urine output. A staging system for AKI which reflects quantitative changes in serum creatinine and urine output has been developed. We describe the formation of a multidisciplinary collaborative network focused on AKI. We have proposed uniform standards for diagnosing and classifying AKI which will need to be validated in future studies. The Acute Kidney Injury Network offers a mechanism for proceeding with efforts to improve patient outcomes.

5,467 citations

01 Sep 2008
TL;DR: The Methodology used to Prepare the Guideline Epidemiology Incidence Etiology and Recommendations for Assessing Response to Therapy Suggested Performance Indicators is summarized.
Abstract: Executive Summary Introduction Methodology Used to Prepare the Guideline Epidemiology Incidence Etiology Major Epidemiologic Points Pathogenesis Major Points for Pathogenesis Modifiable Risk Factors Intubation and Mechanical Ventilation Aspiration, Body Position, and Enteral Feeding Modulation of Colonization: Oral Antiseptics and Antibiotics Stress Bleeding Prophylaxis, Transfusion, and Glucose Control Major Points and Recommendations for Modifiable Risk Factors Diagnostic Testing Major Points and Recommendations for Diagnosis Diagnostic Strategies and Approaches Clinical Strategy Bacteriologic Strategy Recommended Diagnostic Strategy Major Points and Recommendations for Comparing Diagnostic Strategies Antibiotic Treatment of Hospital-acquired Pneumonia General Approach Initial Empiric Antibiotic Therapy Appropriate Antibiotic Selection and Adequate Dosing Local Instillation and Aerosolized Antibiotics Combination versus Monotherapy Duration of Therapy Major Points and Recommendations for Optimal Antibiotic Therapy Specific Antibiotic Regimens Antibiotic Heterogeneity and Antibiotic Cycling Response to Therapy Modification of Empiric Antibiotic Regimens Defining the Normal Pattern of Resolution Reasons for Deterioration or Nonresolution Evaluation of the Nonresponding Patient Major Points and Recommendations for Assessing Response to Therapy Suggested Performance Indicators

2,961 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: These guidelines are intended for use by healthcare professionals who care for patients at risk for hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), including specialists in infectious diseases, pulmonary diseases, critical care, and surgeons, anesthesiologists, hospitalists, and any clinicians and healthcare providers caring for hospitalized patients with nosocomial pneumonia.
Abstract: It is important to realize that guidelines cannot always account for individual variation among patients. They are not intended to supplant physician judgment with respect to particular patients or special clinical situations. IDSA considers adherence to these guidelines to be voluntary, with the ultimate determination regarding their application to be made by the physician in the light of each patient's individual circumstances.These guidelines are intended for use by healthcare professionals who care for patients at risk for hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), including specialists in infectious diseases, pulmonary diseases, critical care, and surgeons, anesthesiologists, hospitalists, and any clinicians and healthcare providers caring for hospitalized patients with nosocomial pneumonia. The panel's recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of HAP and VAP are based upon evidence derived from topic-specific systematic literature reviews.

2,359 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Highlights include advances in molecular and immunologic diagnostics, improved understanding of diagnostic thresholds, optimized methods of prevention, advances in the use of novel antiviral therapies and certain immunosuppressive agents, and more savvy approaches to treatment resistant/refractory disease.
Abstract: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) remains one of the most common infections after solid organ transplantation, resulting in significant morbidity, graft loss, and occasional mortality. Management of CMV varies considerably among transplant centers. A panel of experts on CMV and solid organ transplant was convened by The Infectious Diseases Section of The Transplantation Society to develop evidence and expert opinion-based consensus guidelines on CMV management including diagnostics, immunology, prevention, treatment, drug resistance, and pediatric issues.

1,351 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Genotypic and phenotypic methods that provide relevant information for diagnostic laboratories are presented and recent works in relation to recently identified mechanisms of polymyxin resistance, including chromosomally encoded resistance traits as well as the recently identified plasmid-encoded polymyXin resistance determinant MCR-1 are presented.
Abstract: Polymyxins are well-established antibiotics that have recently regained significant interest as a consequence of the increasing incidence of infections due to multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. Colistin and polymyxin B are being seriously reconsidered as last-resort antibiotics in many areas where multidrug resistance is observed in clinical medicine. In parallel, the heavy use of polymyxins in veterinary medicine is currently being reconsidered due to increased reports of polymyxin-resistant bacteria. Susceptibility testing is challenging with polymyxins, and currently available techniques are presented here. Genotypic and phenotypic methods that provide relevant information for diagnostic laboratories are presented. This review also presents recent works in relation to recently identified mechanisms of polymyxin resistance, including chromosomally encoded resistance traits as well as the recently identified plasmid-encoded polymyxin resistance determinant MCR-1. Epidemiological features summarizing the current knowledge in that field are presented.

922 citations