Table 1.
Clinical Characteristics
| Parameter | Overall | On Early Sampling Day | On Late Sampling Day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of patients, n (%) a | 58 (100) | 48 (83) | 22 (38) |
| Demographics | |||
| Sex, male, n (%) | 40 (69) | ||
| Age, median [IQR], years | 63 [55; 68] | ||
| Body weight, median [IQR], kg | 70 [60; 79] | ||
| ICU mortality, n (%) | 11 (19) | ||
| Severity of infection, n (%) | |||
| Severe sepsis | 26 (45) | ||
| Septic shock | 32 (55) | ||
| Site of infection, n (%) | |||
| Respiratory | 42 (72) | ||
| Gastro-intestinal | 6 (10) | ||
| Hepatic | 3 (5) | ||
| Skin and soft tissue | 3 (5) | ||
| Other | 2 (3) | ||
| Unknown | 2 (3) | ||
| Days meropenem therapy until start sampling, median [IQR], days | 1 [1; 1.7] | 4.3 [4; 4.7] | |
| Days ICU until start sampling, median [IQR], days | 3 [1.5; 9.4] | 6 [4.1; 12.9] | |
| Daily meropenem dose, median [IQR], mg/day | 3000 [3000; 6000] | 3000 [3000; 6000] | |
| Mechanical ventilation, n (%) | 35 (73) | 13 (59) | |
| Vasopressor therapy, n (%) | 27 (56) | 10 (45) | |
| Clinical scores | |||
| SOFA score on ICU admission, median [IQR] | 9 [7; 10] | ||
| SOFA score on day of sampling, median [IQR] | 9 [6; 10] | 7 [5; 10] | |
| APACHE II score, median [IQR] | 20 [16; 25] | ||
| Biochemical parameters | |||
| mCrCl24h, median [IQR], mL/min/1.73m2 b | 84 [64; 119] | 109 [75; 136] | |
| eGFRCKD-EPI, median [IQR], mL/min/1.73m2 | 104 [91; 119] | 112 [101; 119] | |
| Sampling | |||
| Unbound meropenem pre-dose concentration ≥2 mg/Lc, n (%) | 32/70 (46) | 24/48 (50) | 8/22 (36) |
| Unbound meropenem pre-dose concentration ≥8 mg/Lc, n (%) | 8/70 (11) | 5/48 (10) | 3/22 (14) |
Notes: aTwelve patients were sampled on both days. bCrCL24h was not available for 4 dosing intervals. cUnbound concentrations exceeding 1 (ie, 2mg/L) or 4 times (ie, 8 mg/L) the minimal inhibitory concentration throughout the whole dosing interval.
Abbreviations: APACHE, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation; mCrCl24h, measured 24-hour urinary creatinine clearance; eGFRCKD-EPI, estimated glomerular filtration rate according to the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation; ICU, intensive care unit; IQR, interquartile range; n, number of patients; SOFA, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment.