UMEM Educational Pearls

Category: Pharmacology & Therapeutics

Title: Antibiotics For MRSA

Keywords: MRSA, antibiotic, pneumonia, VAP, cephalosporin, infection (PubMed Search)

Posted: 5/3/2012 by Ellen Lemkin, MD, PharmD
Click here to contact Ellen Lemkin, MD, PharmD

If vancomycin resistance is suspected with MRSA infections, there are several other antibiotic choices. They are all extremely expensive.


Antibiotic ORAL Indication Precaution
Telavancin N

SSTI

May cause QT prolongation:

Caution with azole antifungals,

class III antiarrhythmics,

antidepressants, antipsychotics.

Interferes with coagulation tests.

Daptomycin N

SSTI

Bacteremia

Endocarditis

Not for pneumonia.

May cause rhabdomyolysis;

Discontinue statins.

Linezolid Y

VAP

SSTI

Not for bacteremia.

May cause serotonin syndrome;

Caution with antidepressants,

antipsychotics, tramadol, methadone.

Tigecycline N

 

Intrabdominal infections

SSTI

Not for bacteremia.

Inhibits clearance of warfarin.

Reserve for polymicrobial infections.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Skin and soft tissue infection (SSTI); ventilator acquired pneumonia (VAP)