Assessing the incidence of acute kidney injury with combination vancomycin and piperacillin-tazobactam therapy compared to that of vancomycin and cefepime

Abstract

Previous studies have shown a correlation between acute kidney injury (AKI) and combination antimicrobial therapy comprising piperacillin-tazobactam and vancomycin. In this study, AKIs were compared in patients who received vancomycin plus piperacillin-tazobactam with those who received vancomycin plus cefepime. We found a statistically significant increase in AKI risk in the vancomycin plus piperacillin-tazobactam group when compared to the vancomycin plus cefepime group using both AKI criteria [KDIGO 18.9% vs. 4.5% (p = 0.0012); RIFLE 11.2% vs. 1.8% (p = 0.0029)]. Vancomycin in combination with piperacillin-tazobactam led to an increased risk of AKI in comparison to vancomycin and cefepime.