190. Outcomes of Early Ceftaroline-based Combination Therapy for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia

Background Monotherapy with vancomycin (VAN) or daptomycin (DAP) remains the guideline-driven standard of care for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (MRSA-B) despite concerns regarding efficacy. While combination therapy is often utilized as salvage treatment for persistent MRSA-B, growing data suggest a potential benefit of combination therapy with ceftaroline as initial therapy for MRSA-B. In light of these data, we updated practice guidance at our institution for management of MRSA-B in March 2020 to favor initial combination therapy with ceftaroline. Herein, we present an assessment of outcomes of patients with MRSA-B initiated on early combination therapy. Methods This was a single-center, retrospective, cohort study of adult patients admitted to the University of Virginia with MRSA-B between July 1, 2018 and February 28, 2021. Patients were considered to have received combination therapy if they received VAN or DAP plus ceftaroline (CPT) within 5 days of index blood culture, and monotherapy if during that period they received VAN and/or DAP alone. The primary outcome was a composite of persistent bacteremia, 30-day all-cause mortality, and 30-day bacteremia recurrence. Time to microbiological cure and safety outcomes were also assessed. A propensity score-weighted logistic regression was conducted. A post-hoc analysis of the primary composite outcome was performed in which patients were only deemed to have received combination therapy if it was started within 72 hours. Results Of 94 patients included, 57 received monotherapy (55 VAN, 2 DAP) and 37 received combination therapy with CPT (30 VAN, 7 DAP). There was no difference between groups for the primary composite outcome in the primary analysis (OR 2.7, 95% CI 0.95-7.72) or the post-hoc analysis (OR 2.37, 95% CI 0.68-8.22). Time to microbiological cure was not different between groups (mean difference 1.47, 95% CI 0.20-2.74). Safety outcomes were similar. Conclusion In this retrospective study, there was no clear benefit or harm of early initiation of combination therapy for MRSA-B. Additional study of initial combination therapy with ceftaroline is warranted given the small number of subjects in the study presented. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures