Duration of IV Antibiotic Treatment for Children with Pyelonephritis

Rates of renal scarring were similar in children who received long- or short-course IV antibiotics.

Whether the mode and duration of antibiotic treatment prevent development of renal scars in children with pyelonephritis remains controversial. In this multisite, prospective study, French investigators analyzed data from 383 children (age range, 3 months to 16 years; mean age, 34 months) with first acute episodes of pyelonephritis; they were randomized to receive either intravenous (IV) antibiotics for 8 days or IV antibiotics for 3 days followed by 5 days of oral antibiotics. Children with grade 4 or 5 vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) or evidence of renal hypoplasia were excluded. Children underwent dimercaptosuccinic acid scintigraphies at 6 to 9 months after enrollment to assess the incidence of renal scars.

The percentage of children with re…

Reviewing Author

Howard Bauchner, MD

Disclosures

Grant / research supportHuman Resources and Services Administration; NIH; NIH-NHLBI; USDA; GlaxoSmithKline

Editorial boardsArchives of Disease in Childhood (Editor-in-Chief)

Howard Bauchner, MD

Disclosures

Grant / research supportHuman Resources and Services Administration; NIH; NIH-NHLBI; USDA; GlaxoSmithKline

Editorial boardsArchives of Disease in Childhood (Editor-in-Chief)

Duration of IV Antibiotic Treatment for Children with Pyelonephritis

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Reviewing Author