KEY POINTS
- Ertapenem (Invanz) is a carbapenem and beta-lactam antibiotic that interferes with bacterial cell wall synthesis in susceptible pathogens
- Reserve use whenever possible, as it is one of our last-line antibiotics
- Has activity against ESBL+ E. coli, Klebsiella and other multi-drug resistant Gram negative pathogens
- Does NOT have activity versus Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas or Enterococcus “APE”
- Sometimes referred to as “monkey-cillin” because does not cover “APE”, while meropenem is sometimes referred to as “gorilla-cillin” because does have activity against most “APE”
- Note monkeys are not apes, but gorillas are
- Once daily dosing in adults
- Typical dose is 1gm daily, but adjust for impaired kidney function
- Has BID dosing in pediatrics (3 months to 12 years of age)
- Once daily dosing is more convenient for home infusion/ outpatient IV therapy as opposed to multiple times per day of meropenem or imipenem-cilastatin
- Generally more expensive than meropenem, but not by much (especially in patients with renal impraiment)
RESOURCES
- Ertapenem Package Insert
- IDSA Practice Guidelines
- Clinical Practice Guidelines For Antimicrobial Prophylaxis In Surgery
