Infection of the bloodstream with the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus (Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia, SAB) is a serious infection that results in 15-30% of affected patients dying within three months of acquiring the infection. Treatment of this infection requires patients to be hospitalised, treated with prolonged antibiotics through an intravenous line, and carefully examined for the occurrence of complications associated with this condition. At present, there are many treatment options in current use, with no clear agreement as to which of these is best. The SNAP trial aims to identify which treatment options for SAB results in the fewest patients dying within the first 90 days after an infection.~In contrast to a conventional clinical trial, the SNAP trial will examine multiple different treatment options at once. Patients will be randomly assigned to different concurrent treatment options currently considered acceptable in routine medical care, but as the trial progresses, more patients will be assigned to treatments that appear to have better outcomes than those with worse outcomes. The trial will adapt to accumulating trial evidence, on a regular basis, by removing treatment options found to be inferior, incorporating new treatment options, and ensuring that all patients in the trial receive the best treatments once they have been identified. Over time, we hope to determine the best combination of treatment options for patients with SAB.
The Staphylococcus aureus Network Adaptive Platform (SNAP) trial is an International Multi-Centered Randomised Adaptive Platform Clinical Trial to evaluate a range of interventions to reduce mortality for patients with Staphylococcus Aureus bacteraemia (SAB).