Efficacy of Ceftazidime-Avibactam in the Treatment of Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Infection After Kidney Transplantation

PURPOSE: The clinical efficacy of ceftazidime-avibactam (CAZ-AVI) in treating carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP)-infected recipients after kidney transplantation (KT) has not been well evaluated. We aimed to assess its efficacy in a single-center cohort of KT recipients infected with CRKP. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively observed KT recipients diagnosed with CRKP infection from June 2019 to July 2021. The primary outcome was 30-day mortality and secondary outcomes were 14-day clinical cure and 14-day microbiological cure. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between CAZ-AVI treatment and prognosis. RESULTS: A total of 54 CRKP-infected KT recipients were recorded in this study. Twenty-two recipients received CAZ-AVI and 32 received other antibiotic regimens. Recipients in both groups had similar baseline characteristics, with the most common site of infection being surgical site infections (n=27; 50.0%) and bloodstream infections (n=23; 42.6%). Recipients treated with CAZ-AVI had significantly lower 30-day mortality (3/22 vs 14/32, P=0.019), significantly higher 14-day clinical cure (18/22 vs 17/32, P=0.030) and 14-day microbiological cure (19/22 vs 15/32, P=0.003) compared with recipients receiving other treatment regimens. Kaplan–Meier survival curves for 30-day mortality confirmed the findings (log-rank=0.014). In a multivariate logistic regression model, receiving CAZ-AVI was found to be an independent protective factor for 30-day mortality (odds ratio=0.148, 95% confidence interval, 0.027–0.800; P=0.026). No significant side effects were recorded. CONCLUSION: CAZ-AVI may be more valuable than other antibiotic regimens for the treatment of CRKP infection after kidney transplantation, and further large randomized controlled trials are needed to assess its efficacy.