Vancomycin Area Under The Curve-Guided Dosing And Monitoring For Adult And Pediatric Patients With Suspected Or Documented Serious Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Infections: Putting The Safety Of Our Patients First

The revised vancomycin consensus guidelines recommended area under the curve (AUC)-guided dosing/monitoring for patients with serious invasive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections as a measure to minimize vancomycin-associated acute kidney injury (VA-AKI) while maintaining similar effectiveness. Data indicate that the intensity of vancomycin exposure drives VA-AKI risk. Troughs of 15-20 mg/L will ensure an AUC >= 400 mg x hr/L but most patients will have daily AUCs >600. VA-AKI increases as a function of AUC, especially when >600. In addition to minimizing VA-AKI risk while maintaining similar efficacy, AUC-guided dosing/monitoring is a more precise way to conduct therapeutic drug monitoring for vancomycin relative to trough-only control.