Association Between Delayed Broad-Spectrum Gram-negative Antibiotics and Clinical Outcomes: How Much Does Getting It Right With Empiric Antibiotics Matter?

https://academic.oup.com/cid/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/cid/ciaf039/7985686?redirectedFrom=fulltext&login=false Delaying delivery of broad-spectrum antibiotics does not result in worse patient outcomes, according to an AHRQ-supported article in Clinical Infectious Diseases. In a study that compared 67,046 patients who received delayed broad-spectrum therapy with 67,046 patients who received early broad-spectrum therapy, the authors found that death occurred in 8.7 percent of delayed broad-spectrum treatment cases, adverse drug events in 8.4 percent and readmission in 10.5 percent. In contrast, after early treatment, death occurred in 9.5 percent of cases, adverse drug events in 7.2 percent and readmission in 11.8 percent. These findings demonstrated that beginning therapy with narrower-spectrum antibiotics may not pose significant risks and could reduce antibiotic overexposure. Access the abstract.