Time to Antibiotics in Pneumonia: Early Might Not Be Better

To determine the association between time to first antibiotic and outcomes in patients with pneumonia diagnosed in the emergency department (ED), researchers reviewed ED and inpatient records for 444 patients at a single institution. Outcomes included intensive care unit (ICU) admission, death, intubation, and complications.

Ninety percent of patients received antibiotics within 4 hours of ED arrival. These patients, compared to those who received antibiotics later, were more likely to have complications (29% vs. 7%) and be admitted to the ICU (24% vs. 7%). Patients in the early-antibiotic group were also more likely to receive higher triage scores by triage nurses using the Emergency Severity Index.