The effect of meropenem versus piperacillin-tazobactam in critically ill patients with sepsis and septic shock()

BACKGROUND: Antibiotics are a popular and efficient treatment for sepsis and septic shock. However, there is presently little proof of Meropenem with piperacillin-therapeutic tazobactam's benefits. METHODS: From January 1, 2010 to January 1, 2021, we treated a total of 1244 patients with sepsis and septic shock using either Meropenem (n = 622, 1 g every 8 h) or piperacillin-tazobactam (n = 622, 3.375 g or 4.5 g every 8 h). The intervention was administered for 7 days following randomization and continued for up to 14 days thereafter, or until the patient was discharged from the critical care unit or passed away, whichever occurred first. RESULTS: First, we discovered that there were no significant changes in the duration of stay in ICU, Cardiovascular in SOFA, Coagulation in SOFA, Hepatic in SOFA, or Central Nervous System in SOFA between the meropenem alone group and the piperacillin-tazobactam group. In addition, WBC beyond the standard limit was 68.00% in the meropenem alone group against 61.89% in the piperacillin-tazobactam group (P = 0.03). However, Meropenem had a lower mortality rate on ventilator-free days, vasopressor-free days, and hospital-free days. CONCLUSION: This procedure may offer clinical evidence for the safety and efficacy of meropenem with piperacillin-tazobactam in critically sick patients with sepsis and septic shock.