Peroperative teicoplanin for prevention of gram-positive infections in neutropenic patients with indwelling central venous catheters: a randomized, controlled study

Abstract

A prospective, randomized, open study comparing two doses of teicoplanin with no therapy administered at the time of insertion of a central venous catheter was performed in patients with hematological malignancies and in patients scheduled to undergo allogeneic or autologous stem cell transplantation. The study was designed as a group sequential study. At predetermined intervals statistical analysis was performed for the main efficacy variable, which was the number of days to treatment failure. Sixty-five patients were randomized. Three patients were judged to be not evaluable. Baseline characteristics were identical in the two groups. No differences were found in overall infections, bacteremias, gram-positive infections, or local infections between the teicoplanin and control groups. Teicoplanin given at the time of insertion of central venous catheters did not reduce the risk of bacteremias or other line-associated infections.