Communicable E4 - The BLING-3 trial & continuous beta-lactam infusion: should these results change your practice?

Hosts Angela Huttner & Erin McCreary welcome Prof. David Paterson (Singapore) and Prof. Josh Davis (Newcastle, Australia) to discuss the design and results of the BLING-3 trial, which compared continuous infusion of beta-lactam antibiotics to standard intermittent dosing in 7000 critically ill patients across 104 intensive-care units. In unadjusted analyses, the trial did not show a statistically significant mortality benefit with continuous infusion. Yet in prespecified adjusted analyses, there was a statistically significant reduction in mortality, and a meta-analysis of randomized trials published simultaneously with the BLING-3 trial showed the same. As the two ID doctors on the BLING team, Profs. Paterson and Davis offer context and insights into what these results mean and how they might affect your clinical practice. Episode peer-reviewed by Dr. Mia Lidén of Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. 

Literature

• BLING-1: Dulhunty et al. Continuous infusion of beta-lactam antibiotics in severe sepsis: a multicenter double-blind, randomized controlled trial. Clin Infect Dis. 2013 Jan;56(2):236-44. DOI: 10.1093/cid/cis856
• BLING-2: Dulhunty et al. A Multicenter Randomized Trial of Continuous versus Intermittent β-Lactam Infusion in Severe Sepsis. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2015 Dec 1;192(11):1298-305. DOI: 10.1164/rccm.201505-0857OC
• BLING-3: Dulhunty et al. Continuous vs Intermittent β-Lactam Antibiotic Infusions in Critically Ill Patients With Sepsis: The BLING III Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2024 Jun 12:e249779.DOI: 10.1001/jama.2024.9779
• Meta-analysis: Abdul-Aziz et al. Prolonged vs Intermittent Infusions of β-Lactam Antibiotics in Adults With Sepsis or Septic Shock: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JAMA. 2024 Jun 12:e249803. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2024.9803