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Minerva Anestesiologica 2022 Mar 22

DOI: 10.23736/S0375-9393.22.16124-9

Copyright © 2022 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Multidrug-resistant infections in solid organ transplant recipients: a focus on risk factors, prevention and treatment strategies

Dmitri BEZINOVER ¹, Gianni BIANCOFIORE ² ✉, Marco FALCONE ³, Costantine KARVELLAS ⁴, Shaid HUSAIN ⁵, Fuat H. SANER ⁶

¹ Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Penn State Hershey Medical Center, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA; ² Department of Transplant Anesthesia and Critical Care, AOU Pisana, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy; ³ Unit of Infectious Diseases, AOU Pisana, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy; ⁴ Department of Critical Care Medicine and Gastroenterology/Hepatology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada; ⁵ Department of Infectious Diseases, Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, Toronto University, Toronto, ON, Canada; ⁶ Department of General- and Visceral- and Transplant Surgery, Essen University Medical Center, Essen, Germany

Solid organ transplantation is the best therapeutic option for patients with end-stage organ disease and, according to the data from international registries, there has been a steady increase in numbers and results. However, post‐transplant infections remain a fearsome complication with, in the last decade, an increasing incidence of episodes due to antibiotic‐resistant bacteria and opportunistic agents. In this paper, we summarize the most relevant and updated knowledge concerning infections from multidrug‐resistant germs in solid organ transplant recipients, focusing on risk factors, treatment and prevention strategies, and antimicrobial pharmacokinetics relevant to this particular population of patients.

KEY WORDS: Organ transplant; Infectious disease; Complications