While both piperacillin-tazobactam and cefepime are commonly used to treat infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in hospitalized patients, there is a concern that piperacillin-tazobactam may lead to acute kidney injury (AKI) while cefepime might cause adverse neurological effects; however, a direct comparison of their safety in hospitalized patients regarding these specific outcomes has not been conducted through a head-to-head clinical trial.

According to the results, when comparing piperacillin-tazobactam to cefepime in hospitalized patients, there was no significant difference in the rate of developing the highest stage of AKI or death by day 14 or discharge; however, cefepime was associated with a higher rate of delirium, coma, or death compared to piperacillin-tazobactam.

This study suggests that while neither antibiotic appears to have a significant impact on kidney function, cefepime may be associated with a higher risk of neurological complications like delirium and coma compared to piperacillin-tazobactam.

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