Case Commentary: Uncertainty in Evaluating Treatment Outcomes in Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Infections

Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) infections are challenging to treat and associated with poor clinical outcomes. In this issue, sulbactam-durlobactam, a novel beta-lactam-beta-lactamase inhibitor, was used with cefiderocol to successfully treat CRAB pneumonia. While this report and in vitro data are encouraging, determining the impact of treatment regimens on clinical outcomes after CRAB infections is not straightforward. Therefore, careful evaluation in pathogen-directed randomized controlled trials is needed to determine the optimal treatment of CRAB infections.

Automated summary

This study reports the successful treatment of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii infections using a novel combination therapy, showing promising results in in vitro experiments but requiring further evaluation of its clinical efficacy.