One Antibiotic or Two for CAP in Children?

Children aged ≥6 years with community-acquired pneumonia who were receiving a β-lactam and a macrolide had shorter hospital stays than those receiving a β-lactam alone.

Experts disagree as to whether single (β-lactam only) antibiotic treatment is optimal for children hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) or whether adding a macrolide is preferable. (Study findings regarding adults vary, but some favor combination therapy.) In a recent Infectious Diseases Society of America guideline, β-lactam monotherapy is recommended. To explore this issue further, researchers used data from 38 freestanding tertiary care children's hospitals, obtained from the Pediatric Health Information System.

The retrospective cohort study involved children aged 1 to 18 years with CAP who were discharged between 2006 and 2008. Treatment (single or combination therapy) was determined by antibiotic use on the first hospit…

Reviewing Author

Robert S. Baltimore, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsInfectious Diseases in Children

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesMember Committee on Rheumatic Fever, Endocarditis and Kawasaki Disease

Robert S. Baltimore, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsInfectious Diseases in Children

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesMember Committee on Rheumatic Fever, Endocarditis and Kawasaki Disease

One Antibiotic or Two for CAP in Children?

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Reviewing Author