Loading...
Although penicillin remains the cornerstone of antibiotic treatment for streptococcal infective endocarditis, guidelines have differed with respect to the suggested dosing interval. Whether such differences affect outcome is unclear. Now, researchers at the University of Leeds, England, have published data from a retrospective series of 212 patients with streptococcal endocarditis treated at their institution between 2000 and 2011 that shed some light on this clinical problem.
Sixty percent of the 150 patients treated with a 4-hourly penicillin regimen were cured compared with 37% of the 62 patients treated with a 6-hourly regimen. A 4-hourly dosing interval was the only treatment-related parameter significantly associated with successful in…