Daily Ciprofloxacin Treatment for Patients with Advanced Liver Disease Awaiting Liver Transplantation Reduces Hospitalizations.
Minuk GY, Hawkins K, et al.Digestive Diseases & Sciences, 56(4): 1235-41, 2011.
Aims
To determine whether daily ciprofloxacin therapy would improve liver function and result in fewer hospitalizations in patients with advanced liver disease awaiting liver transplantation.
Interventions
Oral ciprofloxacin at a dose of 250mg (<75 kg weight) or 500 mg (>75 kg weight), versus placebo twice daily for 1 or 3 months.
Participants
44 patients with advanced liver disease awaiting liver transplantation.
Outcomes
The primary endpoint was liver function measured as albumin, international normalized ratio of prothrombin and bilirubin at 1 month. The secondary endpoint was hospitalizations after 3 months of therapy. Other laboratory parameters included haemoglobin, white blood cell count, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatise, gamma glutamyltransferase.
Follow-up
3 months
CET Conclusions
In patients with advanced liver disease awaiting transplantation, the administration of oral ciprofloxacin in comparison with a placebo for either one or three months before transplantation, did possibly result in less hospitalisation but did not demonstrate any improvement in liver function.
Data analysis
Per protocol analysis
Quality notes
This is a sub-analysis of a previous publication of the same RCT: Potena L, Bianchi IG, Magnani G, et al. Cyclosporine lowering with everolimus or mycophenolate to preserve renal function in heart recipients: a randomized study. Transplantation 2010;89:263-5. The methodological quality assessment was based on the previous publication.
Trial registration
Not reported