Antibiotic Treatment Regimen for Bloodstream Infections Can Safely Be Cut by Half

 

Antibiotic Treatment Regimen for Bloodstream Infections Can Safely Be Cut by Half

AT A GLANCE

• Treating hospitalized patients with bloodstream infections with antibiotics for seven days is just as effective as a 14-day treatment regimen.
• Both treatment durations demonstrated similar 90-day mortality rates during the study period.
• Shorter antibiotic treatment courses for bloodstream infections may help limit the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance in addition to reducing the cost of effective care.

A seven-day course of antibiotics for hospitalized patients with bloodstream infections is just as effective as a 14-day course, according to new findings presented at IDWeek 2024. 

The study compared the safety and effectiveness of antibiotic courses in 3,608 patients with bloodstream infections across 74 hospitals in seven countries. Both treatment durations demonstrated similar 90-day mortality and relapse rates. Findings were consistent across secondary clinical outcomes and pre-specified patient, pathogen and syndrome subgroups.

Many bloodstream infections are caused by antibiotic resistant bacterial infections, according to the World Health Organization. “Finding strong evidence that supports shorter antibiotic treatment durations is a top priority to advance antimicrobial stewardship as drug-resistant bacteria are increasingly becoming a public health threat,” said Nick Daneman, MD, clinician scientist in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto and presenting author. “These findings underscore the effectiveness of a shorter antibiotic regimen in patients with bloodstream infections, which is welcomed as we look to identify evidence-based prescribing guidelines for serious bacterial infections.”

Dr. Daneman and Robert Fowler, MD, were trial principal investigators, working with a large team of infectious diseases and critical care co-investigators on this trial.

About IDWeek
IDWeek is the joint annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, the HIV Medicine Association, the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society and the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists. IDWeek is a recognized forum for peer-reviewed presentations of new research on scientific advances and bench-to-bedside approaches in prevention, diagnosis, treatment and epidemiology of infectious diseases, including HIV, across the lifespan. For more information, visit www.idweek.org.