Patients with ABSSSIs who had a subtherapeutic vancomycin trough (ST; <10 mg/L) versus a therapeutic trough (TT; ≥10 mg/L) experienced similar therapeutic durations and clinical outcomes, according to a retrospective cohort study published in Drugs in Context. Andrew Merker, PharmD, BCPS, BCIDP, and colleagues assessed the
duration of vancomycin therapy for ABSSSI in adults who received scheduled
vancomycin with an initial creatinine clearance rate of 50 mL/min or more and had at
least one vancomycin trough. Among patients with ST (67.2%) and TT (32.8%), no significant differences in treatment duration (ST, 48.25 hours; TT, 59.5 hours) or clinical outcomes
(eg, hospital duration, time from last trough to vancomycin discontinuation, or incidence of
acute kidney injury) were observed. Thus, Dr. Merker and colleagues concluded, “It may be prudent
for institutions to address vancomycin trough laboratory stewardship and
associated costs.”
