Risk Factors for Tigecycline-Associated Hepatotoxicity in Patients in the Intensive Care Units of 2 Tertiary...

Tigecycline is a broad-spectrum antibacterial agent. As the incidence of multidrug-resistant bacterial infections has increased in intensive care units (ICUs) over the past decades, tigecycline is often used in ICUs. Information about tigecycline-associated hepatotoxicity in ICU patients is limited. To investigate the potential risk factors for tigecycline-associated hepatotoxicity in ICU patients, 148 patients from 2 centers who had received tigecycline for at least 4 days were retrospectively analyzed. Hepatotoxicity was classified according to the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (5.0) grading system. As a result, 33.8% of patients experienced hepatotoxicity events in the ICU. The multivariate analysis showed that an albumin concentration <25 g/L at baseline (odds ratio, 3.714; 95%CI, 1.082-12.744; P = .037) and treatment duration (odds ratio, 1.094; 95%CI, 1.032-1.160; P = .003) were significantly correlated with tigecycline-associated hepatotoxicity. The median time to onset of hepatotoxicity was 8.0 days. The median duration ICU stay and the in-hospital mortality rate were not different between the hepatotoxicity group and the nonhepatotoxicity group (33.5 days (interquartile range, 21.0-72.0) vs 31.0 days (interquartile range, 21-62.5), P = .850; 38.0% vs 43.8%; P = .504). Therefore, close monitoring of liver function is recommended for patients with baseline albumin concentrations <25 g/L or for patients who receive tigecycline therapy for >8 days.