RT Journal Article T1 Is Once-Daily High-Dose Ceftriaxone plus Ampicillin an Alternative for Enterococcus faecalis Infective Endocarditis in Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy Programs? A1 Herrera-Hidalgo, Laura A1 de Alarcon, Aristides A1 Lopez-Cortes, Luis Eduardo A1 Luque-Marquez, Rafael A1 Lopez-Cortes, Luis Fernando A1 Gutierrez-Valencia, Alicia A1 Gil-Navarro, Maria Victoria K1 Enterococcus faecalis K1 OPAT K1 ceftriaxone K1 combination treatment K1 endocarditis K1 pharmacokinetics AB Ceftriaxone administered as once-daily high-dose short infusion combined with ampicillin has been proposed for the treatment of Enterococcus faecalis infective endocarditis in outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy programs (OPAT). This combination requires synergistic activity, but the attainment of ceftriaxone synergic concentration (Cs) with the regimen proposed for OPAT has not been studied. This phase II pharmacokinetic study enrolled healthy adult volunteers who underwent two sequential treatment phases. During phase A, volunteers received 2 g of ceftriaxone each 12 h during 24 h followed by a 7-day wash-out. Then the participants received phase B, which consisted of a single dose of 4 g of ceftriaxone. Throughout both phases, each volunteer underwent intensive pharmacokinetic (PK) sampling over 24 h. Ceftriaxone total and unbound concentrations were measured. Twelve participants were enrolled and completed both phases. Mean ceftriaxone total and free concentrations 24 h after the administration of 2 g each 12 h were 86.44 ± 25.90 mg/liter and 3.59 ± 1.35 mg/liter, respectively, and after the 4-g single dose were 34.60 ± 11.16 mg/liter and 1.40 ± 0.62 mg/liter, respectively. Only 3 (25%) patients in phase A maintained unbound plasma concentrations superior to the suggested Cs = 5 mg/liter during 24 h, and none (0%) in phase B. No grade 3 to 4 adverse events or laboratory abnormalities were observed. Ceftriaxone optimal exposure combined with ampicillin to achieve maximal synergistic activity against E. faecalis required for the treatment of infective endocarditis remains unknown. However, the administration of a single daily dose of 4 g of ceftriaxone implies a reduction in the time of exposure to the proposed Cs. (This study has been registered in the European Union Drug Regulating Authorities Clinical Trials [EudraCT] database under identifier 2017-003127-29.). PB American Society for Microbiology YR 2020 FD 2020-12-16 LK http://hdl.handle.net/10668/16404 UL http://hdl.handle.net/10668/16404 LA en NO Herrera-Hidalgo L, de Alarcón A, López-Cortes LE, Luque-Márquez R, López-Cortes LF, Gutiérrez-Valencia A, et al. Is Once-Daily High-Dose Ceftriaxone plus Ampicillin an Alternative for Enterococcus faecalis Infective Endocarditis in Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy Programs? Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2020 Dec 16;65(1):e02099-20. DS RISalud RD Apr 10, 2025