ArticleInfection and drug resistance2026
Effectiveness and Safety of Empirical Antifungal Strategies in Critically Ill, Non-Neutropenic Patients: A Multi-Center Observational Study.
Article in Infection and drug resistance, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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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.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Fragility of Observed Associations in Selection of Empirical Antifungal Therapy for Critically Ill Non-Neutropenic Patients [Letter].Infection and drug resistance · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
10 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Introduction: Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. While early empirical antifungal therapy (EAFT) is a common strategy to combat diagnostic delays, the choice of agent and its overall benefit remain debated. This study evaluates the clinical outcomes and safety profiles associated with different empirical antifungal strategies in non-neutropenic ICU patients with suspected IFIs. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted on 324 non-neutropenic patients who received EAFT in eight ICUs from 2015 to 2023. Data on demographics, comorbidities, treatments, and outcomes were collected from medical records. The primary endpoints were survival, clinical improvement, and incidence of confirmed fungal infection. Mortality predictors were identified using multivariate logistic regression. Results: Among the 324 patients, the overall in-hospital mortality rate was 78.70%. Mortality was significantly lower in the group receiving fluconazole (63.16%) compared to those receiving caspofungin (76.80%), liposomal amphotericin B (75%), and anidulafungin (84.83%) ( Conclusion: Fluconazole-based EAFT was associated with lower mortality rates compared to other antifungal agents. However, with a confirmed fungal infection rate of only 7.41%, these findings suggest that current patient selection for EAFT is suboptimal. The high overall mortality, coupled with the low infection confirmation rate, underscores the need for improved risk stratification tools to ensure the judicious use of antifungals in this critically ill population.
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