Combination therapy vs. monotherapy for Gram-negative bloodstream infection: matching by predicted prognosis

The utility of empirical combination antimicrobial therapy for Gram-negative bloodstream infection (BSI) remains unclear. This retrospective, quasi-experimental matched cohort study examined the impact of empirical combination therapy on mortality in patients with Gram-negative BSI. Hospitalized adults with Gram-negative BSI from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2013 at Palmetto Health Hospitals in Columbia, SC, USA were identified. Patients receiving combination therapy or beta-lactam monotherapy were matched 1:1 based on age, sex and Bloodstream Infection Mortality Risk Score (BSIMRS). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression with propensity score adjustment was used to examine overall 28–day mortality and within predefined BSIMRS categories (<5 and ≥5). A total of 380 patients receiving combination therapy or monotherapy for Gram-negative BSI were included in the study. Median age was 66 years and 204 (54%) were female. Overall, 28-day mortality in patients who received combination therapy and monotherapy was 13% and 15%, respectively (P?=?0.51). After stratification by BSIMRS, mortality in both combination therapy and monotherapy groups was 1.1% in patients with BSIMRS <5 (P?=?0.98) and 27% and 32%, respectively, in patients with BSIMRS ≥5 (P?=?0.47). After adjusting for propensity to receive combination therapy, risk of mortality was not significantly different for combination therapy compared to monotherapy (hazard ratio [HR] 0.90, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.51–1.60). This finding persisted for both subgroups of BSIMRS <5 (HR 0.96, 95% CI 0.04–24.28) and BSIMRS ≥5 (HR 0.83, 95% CI 0.46–1.48). There is no survival benefit from empirical combination therapy over monotherapy in patients with Gram-negative BSI, regardless of predicted prognosis at initial presentation.