Background: Salvage therapies after initial Helicobacter pylori eradication failure of ranitidine bismuth citrate (RBC)-based regimens remain undefined.
Aim: To test the efficacy of 1-week omeprazole, amoxycillin and clarithromycin as a second-line treatment and 1-week quadruple therapy after repeated failures of RBC- and proton pump inhibitor-based regimens.
Method: Patients were recruited from a recently published prospective randomized study if confirmed to have failed H. pylori eradication with RBC-based regimens. They were given omeprazole 20 mg, amoxycillin 1 g and clarithromycin 500 mg (OAC) b.d. for 1 week. 13C-urea breath test was performed 4 weeks after the conclusion of medication. Those who failed to respond to OAC were given 1-week quadruple therapy (bismuth subcitrate 120 mg, tetracycline 500 mg and metronidazole 400 mg q.d.s. plus omeprazole 20 mg b.d.).
Results: Among 398 patients receiving RBC-based therapies, 40 (10%) had failed eradication (RAC=7, RC-2=12, RMC=7, and RMT=14). OAC was prescribed to 31 patients (RAC=4, RC-2=9, RMC=6, and RMT=12) and 68% had successful eradication. Nine out of 10 patients with failed second treatment received quadruple therapy; successful eradication occurred in 83% (5 out of 6) after repeated failures of clarithromycin-based regimens.
Conclusion: One-week OAC is not an optimal second-line therapy when RBC-clarithromycin combinations fail. Quadruple therapy appears to be effective despite repeated failures of clarithromycin-based RBC or proton pump inhibitor therapies.