Community-Acquired Strains Cause Most MRSA

The presence of comorbid peripheral vascular disease was associated with a 2.3-fold increased risk of clinical treatment failure in the diabetic patients. It's likely that the vascular disease interferes with delivery of antimicrobial agents to the site of infection, Dr. Lipsky observed.

In nondiabetic patients, two independent predictors of clinical treatment failure were identified: vancomycin therapy and the presence of polymicrobial pathogens. Each was associated with a 2.2-fold increased risk of treatment failure.

Numerous other variables were scrutinized as potential predictors of clinical treatment failure but failed to achieve significance.

This study was sponsored by Pfizer. Dr. Lipsky serves as a consultant to the company.

Predictors of treatment failure included involvement of a body area other than the lower extremities and comorbid peripheral vascular disease.

Source Courtesy Dr. Gregory Moran