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Study suggests oral cephalosporins represent a safe and effective alternative for treating acute kidney infections
A new study led by Kevin Lin, PharmD, infectious disease clinical pharmacist at Ochsner, was recently published in PLoS One and suggests that oral cephalosporins are as safe and effective as the standard treatment of fluoroquinolones (FQs) for treating acute kidney infections. Cephalosporins belong to a family of antibiotics called beta-lactams, which are generally considered “narrower spectrum,” meaning they don’t kill as many of our good bacteria and have a much safer side effect profile compared to FQs. Lin, a clinical pharmacist at Ochsner since 2019, conducted much of the research while working in an infectious disease pharmacy...
Study suggests oral cephalosporins represent a safe and effective alternative for treating acute kidney infections
A new study led by Kevin Lin, PharmD, infectious disease clinical pharmacist at Ochsner, was recently published in PLoS One and suggests that oral cephalosporins are as safe and effective as the standard treatment of fluoroquinolones (FQs) for treating acute kidney infections. Cephalosporins belong to a family of antibiotics called beta-lactams, which are generally considered “narrower spectrum,” meaning they don’t kill as many of our good bacteria and have a much safer side effect profile compared to FQs.
Lin, a clinical pharmacist at Ochsner since 2019, conducted much of the research while in an infectious disease pharmacy at Parkland Health & Hospital System in Dallas, Texas.
This research began as a residency project due to a lack of substantial clinical data in the area of oral beta-lactams for invasive infections. From the perspective of responsible antimicrobial use, the more we can reduce the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics such as fluoroquinolones, which are generally the mainstay of treatment for kidney infections, the better it is for patients and, in the long term, slows the development of antibiotic resistance.
Kevin Lin, PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist, Ochsner Health
Reducing the use of antibiotics, and particularly broad-spectrum antibiotics, in the outpatient setting has become increasingly important in recent years, with an estimated 60% of all spending on antimicrobials for human use related to out-of-hospital care through primary care clinics, urgent treatments, etc. and is now a major focus of Antimicrobial stewardship programs for many health systems. Studies describing high-yield antimicrobial stewardship interventions are uncommon, so this study provides additional support for the use of narrower-spectrum oral antibiotics for uncomplicated infections that can be managed in an outpatient setting.
“The biggest advantage of oral cephalosporins is the narrower bactericidal spectrum, which would lead to lower rates of antimicrobial resistance over time,” Lin said. “In addition, the side effects of oral cephalosporins and other oral beta-lactams are far superior to those of fluoroquinolones, so they can be used as a much safer and equally effective alternative.”
Infectious disease pharmacy became a passion for Lin while he was in pharmacy school, and he continues in that field at Ochsner Health.
“It is fascinating to learn about the ever-changing world of microorganisms and their ability to change and adapt to our efforts to control them,” Lin said. “From a hospital pharmacy perspective, there are a variety of areas to support medical teams, and I have the privilege of working closely with our infectious disease physicians to optimize antimicrobial use and help improve patient safety and outcomes.”
Source:
Reference:
Lin, K., et al. (2022) A retrospective review of oral cephalosporins compared to fluoroquinolones for the treatment of pyelonephritis. PLUS ONE. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0274194.
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