Rational use of tigecycline and tigecycline blood concentration monitoring in patients with severe infection

Tigecycline, a tetracycline antibiotic, is widely used against antimicrobial resistance; therefore, medical staff should use tigecycline rationally to improve clinical efficacy and reduce resistance to this drug. The present study aimed to enhance the rate of rational tigecycline usage. The patients were divided into a low-dose (50 mg tigecycline twice daily, every 12 h) and a high-dose group (100 mg twice daily, every 12 h). The blood concentrations of tigecycline were examined and the area under the curve (AUC)(0-12 h) values of the two groups were calculated. Prescriptions of tigecycline for 40 intensive care unit (ICU) cases were reviewed to evaluate the rationality of tigecycline usage. The peak plasma concentrations (the 7th administration after 1 h) of tigecycline were significantly higher in the high-dose group (2.46±0.43 µg/ml) compared with those in the low-dose group (1.25±0.16 µg/ml). The AUC(0-12 h) was 16.35±3.09 h µg/ml in the high-dose group and 9.83±1.23 h µg/ml in the low-dose group (P<0.001). There were 29 irrational prescriptions identified, involving: i) Lack of consultation records (n=20); ii) inappropriate usage or dosage (n=17); iii) inappropriate drug selection (n=2); or iv) lack of dynamic laboratory tests to evaluate the efficacy (n=4). The irrational use of tigecycline in ICU patients is common. The rate of rational tigecycline usage can be improved by strengthening the management, training and participation of clinical pharmacists.