Antibiotic Therapy: How Long Is Long Enough?

Antibiotic courses of 8 days or less were not associated with increased treatment failure in studies of skin and soft-tissue infection and of male urinary tract infection.

The minimum therapy duration necessary for successful treatment of common infections remains unknown for many conditions. Two retrospective observational studies have now addressed shorter versus longer duration of antibiotic therapy in specific populations.

Ihm and colleagues evaluated uncomplicated skin and skin structure infections (SSTIs) in 207 patients with obesity body-mass index ≥30, heart failure, or both. Participants were classified as having short (≤8 days) or long duration (>8 days) of antibiotic therapy for SSTIs. Treatment failure occurred in 22% of the patients. In a propensity score–matched subset of patients, significantly more patients receiving long-duration therapy had treatment failure than did patients receiving short-…

Reviewing Author

Wendy S. Armstrong, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardNIH Therapeutics and Prevention Data Safety Monitoring Board

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Board of Internal Medicine Infectious Diseases Subspecialty Board (member), Infectious Diseases Society of America (Vice President)

Wendy S. Armstrong, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardNIH Therapeutics and Prevention Data Safety Monitoring Board

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Board of Internal Medicine Infectious Diseases Subspecialty Board (member), Infectious Diseases Society of America (Vice President)

Antibiotic Therapy: How Long Is Long Enough?

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Reviewing Author