Tigecycline is the first of a new class of
antibiotics named glycylcyclines and it was approved for the treatment of complicated
intra-abdominal infections and skin and skin structure
infections and community-acquired
bacterial pneumonia. Notwithstanding this, the
tigecycline's pharmacological and microbiological profile encourage physicians' use of the
drug in other
infections. The aim of this study was to characterize the indications type, pathogens, and outcomes of patients who were treated with
tigecycline. We analyzed the
tigecycline prescriptions in 209 patients in 23 Latin American centres using an electronic form included in the website LatinUser (http://www.clinicalrec.com.ar). Sixty-six patients (31.5%) received
tigecycline for approved indications, and 143 (68.5%) for "off label" indications (47% with scientific support and 21.5% with limited or without any scientific support). The most frequent "
off label" use was
ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) (76 patients). The etiology of
infections was established in 88 patients (42%). Acinetobacter spp. (54.5%, in 65% of cases
carbapenems-resistant), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (12%), and extended spectrum β-lactamases-producing Enterobacteriaceae (10%) were the most common microorganisms isolated. Overall, attending physicians reported clinical success in 144 of the 209 patients (69%). Global mortality proportion was 35,5% (74/209 patients). Our study shows that the
off label use of
tigecycline is frequent, especially in VAP due to multidrug-resistant pathogens, where the therapeutic options are limited (eg:
carbapenems-resistant Acinetobacter spp.). Physicians must evaluate the benefits/risks to use this
antibiotic for indications that lack rigorous scientific support.