Antibiotic Timing and Mortality in Patients with Severe Infections

Meta-analysis further supports that early antibiotics are associated with lower mortality for patients with severe bacterial infections.

Severe bacterial infections often require rapid therapies to avoid adverse outcomes. In a meta-analysis of 37 observational studies (mostly retrospective), researchers compared delay (≈1 day) versus no delay in receiving appropriate antibiotic therapy among 9324 adults hospitalized with severe bacterial infections. They also evaluated the effect of the duration of delay in 1671 patients.

Mortality was significantly lower among patients in whom antibiotics were not delayed compared with those in whom antibiotics were delayed (odds ratio, 0.6); mortality differences remained significant among subgroups of patients with bacteremia (OR, 0.5), gram-negative infections (OR, 0.4), and high severity of illness (APACHE II score >15; OR, 0.5). Among p…

Reviewing Author

Daniel D. Dressler, MD, MSc, MHM, FACP

Disclosures

RoyaltiesMcGraw-Hill; Elsevier

Editorial BoardsMedical Clinics of North America; Caribbean Medical Journal International Advisory Panel (2021–2026)

Daniel D. Dressler, MD, MSc, MHM, FACP

Disclosures

RoyaltiesMcGraw-Hill; Elsevier

Editorial BoardsMedical Clinics of North America; Caribbean Medical Journal International Advisory Panel (2021–2026)

Antibiotic Timing and Mortality in Patients with Severe Infections

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Reviewing Author