Extended vs. Intermittent Beta-Lactam Infusion in ICU Sepsis

February 2, 2026 updated by: Mostafa Yousif Sadik Sayed, Assiut University

"The Impact of Beta-Lactam Infusion Strategy on Treatment Efficacy in Sepsis and Septic Shock : Extended vs. Intermittent Dosing in the ICU"

This observational study compares extended versus intermittent beta-lactam infusion in sepsis patients, assessing survival, clinical cure rates, and practical ICU challenges. The findings will guide optimal antibiotic protocols, potentially improving sepsis outcomes through precision dosing strategies.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Sepsis is defined as a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. Septic shock should be considered a subset of sepsis in which underlying circulatory, cellular, and metabolic abnormalities significantly increase mortality risk compared to sepsis alone.

Beta-lactam antibiotics exhibit broad-spectrum activity against most Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, making them a key component of sepsis treatment. Their bactericidal effects are time-dependent, meaning efficacy depends on maintaining free drug concentrations above the minimum inhibitory concentration of the target pathogen for an optimal duration.

In clinical practice, beta-lactams are typically administered via intermittent infusion. However, critically ill patients often experience altered pharmacokinetics due to changes in renal clearance, protein binding, fluid balance, and volume distribution. This variability can lead to unpredictable drug concentrations, increasing the risk of subtherapeutic antibiotic exposure.

Existing studies suggest that continuous infusion may enhance beta-lactam efficacy by maintaining drug concentrations above the minimum inhibitory concentration for longer periods, optimizing pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic targets. Some meta-analyses and small randomized controlled trials report reduced mortality and improved clinical cure rates with continuous infusion, while others show no significant difference. However, differences in dosing regimens, patient populations, and pharmacokinetic variability in critically ill patients make it difficult to draw firm conclusions.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
50

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Critically ill patient diagnosed with pneumonia and urinary tract infection at Critical care unit at Assiut University Hospital

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Aged: 18 - 65

  • Patients admitted to critical care unit diagnosed with pneumonia or urinary tract infection with two of the following:

    1. Temperature: over 38 degree celsius
    2. Heart rate: over 100 beats per minute
    3. Respiratory rate: over 20 breaths per minute
    4. leucocyte count over than 12000 or less than 4000 microlitres or over 10% immature forms or bands
  • Patients with positive sputum or urine cultures

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Hypersensitivity to Beta-lactams
  • Pregnancy
  • Very low probability of survival using APAACHE II score > 34 points.
  • Immunodeficency or taking immunosuppressive medications
  • Acute or chronic renal failure with creatinine clearance less than 30 ml/min according to Cockcroft-Gault formula.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Group A
Extended infusion of beta-lactam antibiotics
Drug: Extended beta-lactam antibiotics
Group A will be receiving extended infusion of beta-lactam antibiotic over 4 hours.
Group B
Intermittent infusion of beta-lactam antibiotics
Drug: Intermittent Beta-lactam antibiotics
Group B will be receiving intermittent infusion of beta-lactam antibiotic over 30 minutes.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Time Frame
All-cause mortality at 90 days from the date of randomization.
Time Frame: Baseline and 90 days
Baseline and 90 days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Clinical cure
Time Frame: Baseline and 16 days
defined as completing the full course of beta-lactam therapy within 14 days without requiring additional antibiotics for the same infection within 48 hours after treatment cessation.
Baseline and 16 days

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Assiut University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
October 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
May 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
October 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
September 28, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 2, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
February 10, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
February 10, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 2, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • Beta-Lactam Infusion in sepsis

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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