Linezolid in the treatment of severe intraabdominal infection: A STROBE-compliant retrospective study

Safety concerns over bone marrow suppression and thrombocytopenia may inhibit the use of linezolid to treat intraabdominal infection (IAI). To evaluate the effectiveness, safety, and prognosis of linezolid in the treatment of severe IAI (SIAI). Patients were divided into a linezolid group and nonlinezolid group according to whether linezolid was prescribed. Subgroup analysis (thrombocytopenia treated with linezolid group (I), and thrombocytopenia treated with nonlinezolid group (II) also was performed. We evaluated the effectiveness of linezolid by analyzing the changes in white blood cells (WBC) and procalcitonin, evaluated safety by analyzing the changes in platelet counts, and evaluated patient outcomes by analyzing the length of hospital stay, the length of ICU stay, and the rates of clinical improvement. Sixty-six adult SIAI patients were treated with anti-gram-positive (G(+)) bacteria drugs for more than 7 days from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2020. The length of hospital stay, the length of ICU stay, and the rates of clinical improvement were not significantly different between the linezolid group and nonlinezolid group. On the 15th day after anti-G (+) bacteria treatment, the WBC of the linezolid group was significantly lower than in the nonlinezolid group (9.00 ± 4.30 vs 13.1 ± 6.19, P < .05). The time for a statistical difference in the decrease of procalcitonin in the linezolid group was earlier than in the nonlinezolid group (day 6 vs day 7, P < .05). There was no statistically significant difference in the changes of platelet counts in the subgroup I (P > .05), but compared with the baseline data (day 0), the time for the statistical difference in the increase of platelets in thrombocytopenia treated with linezolid group was earlier (day 5 vs day 6, P < .05). There was no statistical difference in the changes of platelets in subgroup II (P > .05). In the treatment of severe intraabdominal infection in a single-center, retrospective study, linezolid was not inferior to other antibiotics in patient clinical outcomes or seral WBC and procalcitonin values. Linezolid also induced no evident bone marrow suppression or thrombocytopenia. Linezolid is a good choice for treatment of SIAI.