Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39974281›Full record

ArticleTherapeutic advances in drug safety2025

Navigating pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics challenges of β-lactam antibiotics in patients with low body weight: efficacy, toxicity, and dosage optimization.

Yu-Ju Tseng, Chih-Hsun Tai, Guan-Yuan Chen, Yen-Lin Chen, Shih-Chi Ku, Tsung-Yu Pai, Chien-Chih Wu

Abstract read
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Article in Therapeutic advances in drug safety, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
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5citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Yu-Ju TsengDepartment of Pharmacy, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Chih-Hsun TaiDepartment of Pharmacy, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Guan-Yuan ChenDepartment and Graduate Institute of Forensic Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Yen-Lin ChenDivision of Chest Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Shih-Chi KuDivision of Chest Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Tsung-Yu PaiDepartment of Pharmacy, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Chien-Chih WuDepartment of Pharmacy, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, 7 Chung Shan South Road, Taipei 100, Taiwan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9517-2176

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Patients with low body weight (LBW) often exhibit altered pharmacokinetics (PK) in renal clearance and total body water. These changes complicate β-lactam antibiotic dosing, potentially resulting in suboptimal efficacy or increased toxicity. Objectives: To evaluate the attainment of PK/pharmacodynamic (PD) targets, the prevalence of subtherapeutic and supratherapeutic concentrations, and the incidence of neurotoxicity among LBW patients treated with piperacillin/tazobactam (TZP), cefepime (FEP), and meropenem (MEM). Design: A prospective observational study conducted at a tertiary hospital from January 2020 to December 2022. Methods: Adult patients with a body mass index ⩽18.5 kg/m Results: Seventy-two patients were included: 29 received TZP, 23 FEP, and 20 MEM. Achievement of the 100% fT > MIC target was comparable across all antibiotics (~70%), but 100% fT > 4 MIC attainment was significantly higher for FEP (47.8%) than for TZP (10.3%) and MEM (30%) ( Conclusion: PK changes complicate β-lactam antibiotic dosing, resulting in frequent failure to achieve PK/PD targets. FEP demonstrated a particularly high risk of supratherapeutic concentrations and neurotoxicity. Therapeutic drug monitoring is crucial to optimize dosing and improve safety in this population.

Indexed as

low body weightpharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamicstherapeutic drug monitoringβ-lactam antibiotics

Identifiers

PMID39974281
PMCPMC11837059

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.