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.
A 62-year-old white male (weight 125 kg, height 167 cm), with a known history of type II diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, stroke (paraplegic), and on hemodialysis 98 months prior to this infection incident, developed bacteremia secondary to coagulase-negative Staphylococcus from the CVC. The patient received vancomycin 2,000 mg i.v. (16 mg/kg) for 2 consecutive dialysis sessions followed by vancomycin 1,000 mg i.v. after each subsequent dialysis plus vancomycin 2.5 mg/mL/4% citrate lock for 2 weeks total with complete cure, and the patient continued using the same catheter in the 6-month follow-up period.