Outcomes
Clinical outcomes were evaluated retrospectively and only in patients with positive cultures for P. aeruginosa . This allows for a normalization of the cohort. Patients with polymicrobial culture results and antibiotic combinations were included in the analysis.
Treatment failures were categorized as: 1) early repeated exacerbation (defined as recurrent APE occurring within 45 days (10); 2) requirement of antibiotic regimen change or addition of antibiotics to the regimen during therapy due to ineffectiveness.
The clinical outcomes were incorporated into a composite criterion which included the 2 categories of treatment failures as its criteria. A negative to all 2 criteria was necessary to achieve a positive treatment outcome while a positive to 1 or more criteria resulted in a negative treatment outcome.
Nephrotoxicity was defined as an increase in serum creatinine at therapeutic drug monitoring over a preceding measurement within 48h as per the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (14, 15).