Factors increasing the risk of inappropriate vancomycin therapy in ICU patients: A prospective observational study.

Background: Vancomycin trough levels are frequently subtherapeutic in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. The aim of this study was to identify patients at risk of therapeutic failure defined as vancomycin area-under-the-curve /minimum inhibitory concentration (AUC /MIC) <400, and to examine possible effects of different MICs, the variability in renal clearance and continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), and the relevance of vancomycin therapy.

Methods: A prospective observational study of ICU patients 18 years at initiation of vancomycin therapy was conducted from May 2013 to October 2015.