A 36-year-old white male (weight 71 kg, height 175 cm) with hypertension, type I diabetes, heart disease, and on hemodialysis 51 months prior to this incident, developed MRSA bacteremia as shown by both CVC (which was inserted 1 week before the incidence of infection due to poor blood flow) and peripheral line blood cultures. The patient was treated with vancomycin 1,000 mg i.v. (14 mg/kg) initially, then 1,500 mg (21 mg/kg) after the subsequent dialysis (due to low trough level) followed by 1,000 mg i.v. after each subsequent dialysis with pre-hemodialysis concentrations > 15 mg/L (MRSA MIC was 0.5 mg/mL). Treatment was initiated in the inpatient setting and was completed in the outpatient dialysis unit. The patient was also treated with vancomycin (2.5 mg/mL)/4% citrate lock solution for a 2-week period. Microbiological eradication and resolution of symptoms were observed. The catheter was removed 1 month later after the patient had a successful kidney transplant.
An 82-year-old Asian female (weight 55 kg, height 167 cm), with a known history of hypertension, heart disease, and on hemodialysis 28 months prior to this incident, developed bacteremia with Acinetobacter baumanii and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus. The patient was treated with vancomycin loading dose of 1,500 mg i.v. (27.2 mg/kg) during the last 60 min of dialysis followed by vancomycin 1,000 mg maintenance dose after each subsequent dialysis, along with parenteral gentamicin 160 mg (2.9 mg/kg) loading dose and 60 mg maintenance dose at the end of each dialysis, oral ciprofloxacin 500 mg daily, plus gentamicin 5 mg/mL solution in normal saline lock. The three antibiotics and lock solution were started in the outpatient dialysis unit and were continued for 2 weeks without requiring hospital admission. The patient did not experience recurrent infection for a follow-up period of 1 year and continued dialysis through the same catheter.