Combination Empirical Antibiotic Therapy for Severe Sepsis?

The rate of appropriate empirical antibiotic therapy was higher with combination treatment than with monotherapy.

Early administration of appropriate empirical antibiotic therapy is a key component in the successful management of severe sepsis. Combination therapy including drugs from different antibiotic classes therefore sounds logical, especially in an era of increasing antibiotic resistance among gram-negative pathogens. However, the benefit of such an approach has not been proven.

Now, researchers in Missouri have conducted a retrospective cohort study involving 760 patients with gram-negative bacteremia and severe sepsis or septic shock to determine whether empirical combination therapy lowers mortality. Thirty-one percent of these patients received inappropriate empirical antibiotics.

Hospital mortality was significantly greater when initial antib…

Reviewing Author

Thomas Glück, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsConsilium Infectiorum by InfectoPharm, Infection

Thomas Glück, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsConsilium Infectiorum by InfectoPharm, Infection