Table 1.
The set of available drugs for empiric treatment of device-associated infections
| Drug or class | GN | GP | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amikacin | y | x | |
| Gentamicin | y | x | |
| Tobramycin | y | x | |
| Rifampin | x | x | Not for monotherapy. |
| Fluoroquinolones | y | y | Represented by ciprofloxacin. |
| Tmp-smx | y | y | Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. |
| Glycopeptides | x | y | Represented by vancomycin. |
| Tigecycline | tox | tox | |
| Clindamycin | x | * | *Not for CAUTI. |
| Daptomycin | x | * | *Not for CAUTI or VAP. Only approved for S. aureus. |
| Erythromycin | x | * | *Not for CLABSI or CAUTI. |
| Nitrofurantoin | * | * | *Not for CLABSI or VAP. |
| Linezolid | x | y | |
| Chloramphenicol | tox | tox | |
| Fosfomycin | * | * | *Not for CLABSI or VAP. |
| Polymixins | tox | x | Represented by colistin. |
| Quin-dalf | x | x | Quinupristin-dalfopristin. |
| Tetracyclines | * | * | Represented by doxycycline. Not for CLABSI or VAP. |
| Oxacillin/clox | x | x | Represented by cloxacillin. Only for Staphylococcus. |
| Ceftaroline | x | x | Unclear for VAP.36 |
| Penicillins | y | y | Represented by ampicillin. Penicillinase-labile penicillins. |
| CephN | y | y | Cephalosporins I+II and cephamycins represented by cefazolin. |
| Cefixime | x | x | |
| CephE | y | CephN | Cephalosporins III+IV represented by ceftazidime. |
| ComboN | y | y | Penicillins+β-lactamase inhibitors represented by amox-clav. |
| ComboE | y | y | Antipseudomonal penicillins+β-lactamase inhibitors represented by pip-tazo. |
| Carbapenems | y | y | Represented by meropenem. |
A ‘y’ indicates a drug or class that is suitable for treatment of susceptible Gram-negative (GN) or Gram-positive (GP) central-line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAPs) and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs).
*Indicates a drug or class that is not suitable for treatment of some infection types due to poor tissue penetration or other considerations—see notes. Unsuitable x and toxic drugs are excluded from the indices. In addition, netilmicin, fusidic acid, teicoplanin are excluded due to lack of FDA approval, and aztreonam is excluded because it is not available in Canada.