M-A | Examining shorter antibiotic treatment durations for community acquired pneumonia in adults

Summary: The systematic review and duration-effect meta-analysis included nine randomized trials with a total of 2,399 patients, analyzing antibiotic treatment durations for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in adults. The primary outcome was clinical improvement on day 15, with secondary outcomes including all-cause mortality, serious adverse events, and clinical improvement on day 30.

The study found that shorter treatment durations (3–9 days) were likely to be non-inferior to the standard 10-day treatment, and no significant difference in all-cause mortality or serious adverse events was observed. The study suggests that a 3–5 day treatment duration likely offers the optimal balance between efficacy and treatment burden if patients are clinically stable. However, the results are limited by the small number of included studies, the overall moderate-to-high risk of bias, and the varying severity of CAP among patients in the studies. Therefore, further research focusing on the shorter duration range is required.

Article: Optimal duration of antibiotic treatment for community-acquired pneumonia in adults: a systematic review and duration-effect meta-analysis – BMJ Open

Related:

Appropriate Use of Short-Course Antibiotics in Common Infections: Best Practice Advice From the American College of Physicians – Annals of Internal Medicine

Efficacy of short-course antibiotic treatments for community-acquired pneumonia in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis – Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy

Short-Course vs Long-Course Antibiotic Therapy for Children With Nonsevere Community-Acquired Pneumonia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis – JAMA Pediatrics

Short- vs Standard-Course Outpatient Antibiotic Therapy for Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Children: The SCOUT-CAP Randomized Clinical Trial – JAMA Pediatrics

Short-Course Antimicrobial Therapy for Pediatric Community-Acquired Pneumonia: The SAFER Randomized Clinical Trial – JAMA Pediatrics

Effect of Amoxicillin Dose and Treatment Duration on the Need for Antibiotic Re-treatment in Children With Community-Acquired Pneumonia: The CAP-IT Randomized Clinical Trial – JAMA