Clinical and cost-effectiveness analysis of carbapenems versus ciprofloxacin in the treatment of urinary tract infections due to extended spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales.

BACKGROUND

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common infectious diseases in both hospital and community settings. The management of UTIs caused by extended spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales (ESBL-PE) has become more complicated given the limited options of effective antibiotic agents besides the amplification of total healthcare costs.

METHODS

This was a retrospective cohort study conducted among hospitalized patients between January 2018 and March 2020. Adults diagnosed with UTI due to ESBL-PE with at least 2 days of admission were included. Excluded were patients with concomitant infection, polymicrobial UTI, and pregnant women. The primary endpoints were clinical cure and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). Clinical cure, hospitalization, and antibiotics costs were considered to evaluate ICER. The secondary endpoints included microbiological eradication, length of stay (LOS), and 30-day readmission.

RESULTS

Of 102 patients, 89 received a carbapenem and 13 received ciprofloxacin. The patients had similar baseline characteristics, including history of hospitalization and UTI within 3 months. No difference was observed in clinical cure rates (86.5% vs. 100%, P = 0.159), microbiological eradication (93.1% vs. 100%, P = 0.639), median LOS (6 days in both groups, P = 0.773), and 30-day readmission rates (41.6% vs. 46.2%, P = 0.755). The ICER of carbapenem to ciprofloxacin was - 7,626.05, indicating that ciprofloxacin was more cost-effective compared with carbapenems.

CONCLUSION

Ciprofloxacin had comparable cure rates with carbapenems, lower risk of 30-day readmission, and was more cost-effective for the treatment of UTI due to ESBL-PE. Therefore, it should be considered as a valuable option if ESBL-PE showed susceptibility to it.