Increasing drug resistance rates among gram-negative pathogens that frequently cause
ventilator-associated pneumonia have resulted in increased hospital mortality, longer
hospital stays, and higher inpatient health care costs. There is an urgent need for effective
therapies that lessen the clinical and economic consequences of this
nosocomial infection. In a randomized, multicenter, prospective, phase 3 trial, medical resource use associated with
doripenem was compared with that associated with
imipenem for the treatment of
ventilator-associated pneumonia. Analysis of medical resource use revealed that patients who received
doripenem had a significantly shorter duration of
hospital stay (22 vs. 27 days; P = .01)and duration of
mechanical ventilation use (7 vs. 10 days; P = .03) than did patients who received
imipenem. In addition, the duration of intensive care unit stay tended to be shorter for patients who received
doripenem. The reduced medical resource use achieved with use of
doripenem for treatment of
ventilator-associated pneumonia may provide not only clinical benefits to patients but also economic benefits to hospitals and health care systems.