Effectiveness of treatment with nebulized colistin in patients with COPD

• Published in: International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Vol. 12; pp. 2909 - 2915
• Main Authors: Bruguera-Avila, Nuria, Marin, Alicia, Garcia-Olive, Ignasi, Radua, Joaquim, Prat, Cristina, Gil, Montserrat, Ruiz-Manzano, Juan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New Zealand Dove Medical Press Limited 01.01.2017; Dove Medical Press Ltd; Dove Medical Press
• Subjects: Aerosols; Antibiotics; Bacteria; Bronchiectasis; Care and treatment; Chronic obstructive lung disease; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Colistin; Comorbidity; Complications and side effects; COPD; Cystic fibrosis; Dosage and administration; Drug therapy; Health aspects; Hospitalization; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; nebulised antibiotics; Original Research; Oxygen therapy; Patient admissions; Steroids; Streptococcus infections; Tomography; Spain; bronchiectasis; nebulized antibiotics; colistin; COPD
• ISSN: 1178-2005; 1176-9106; 1178-2005
• DOI: 10.2147/COPD.S138428

To analyze whether the introduction of nebulized colistin in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and infection with (PA) is associated with a decrease of the number and duration of severe exacerbations. Thirty six patients with COPD and infection with PA treated with nebulized colistin attending a day hospital during a 5-year (January 2010-December 2014) period were prospectively included. Repeated-measures -tests were used to assess whether the introduction of colistin was associated with changes in the number of exacerbations or the length of the hospitalizations, comparing for each patient the year prior to the introduction of colistin with the year after. After the introduction of colistin, the number of admissions decreased from 2.0 to 0.9 per individual year ( =0.0007), and hospitalizations were shorter (23.3 vs 10.9 days, =0.00005). These results persisted when patients with and without bronchiectasis or with and without persistence of were separately analyzed. No pre-post differences were detected in the number of exacerbations not requiring admission. Nebulized colistin seems associated with a strong decrease in the number and duration of hospitalizations due to exacerbation in patients with COPD and infection with PA. Clinical trials with a larger number of patients are needed in order to confirm these results.