Survey of infectious diseases providers reveals variability in duration of antibiotic therapy for the treatment of Gram-negative bloodstream infections.

BACKGROUND

Trials supporting shorter durations of antibiotic therapy for Gram-negative bloodstream infections (GN-BSI) have recently been published. However, adoption of these findings into practice is unclear given limited eligibility criteria and relatively large non-inferiority margins of these studies. To better understand contemporary management of GN-BSI, we conducted an international survey of infectious diseases (ID) specialists.

METHODS

We developed and disseminated an online survey to assess practice patterns involving treatment duration of GN-BSI, including providers from 28 countries. χ

RESULTS

In total, 277 ID specialists completed the survey (64% physicians, 31% pharmacists). The median reported duration of antibiotics was 7 days (IQR, 7-10 days) for all GN-BSI sources. Thirty percent of providers typically recommend durations that differ by ≥7 days depending on the source of GN-BSI, and 71% treat ≥10 days for at least one source. In an adjusted model, factors associated with increased duration included intra-abdominal (+1.01 days, 95% CI 0.57-1.45 days;

CONCLUSIONS

There is extensive heterogeneity in duration of therapy for treating GN-BSI, particularly with respect to source of GN-BSI. Investigations into appropriate treatment durations for different GN-BSI sources are needed.

Informations de copyright

© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.