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Critical Care
Published in: Critical Care 1/2018

Open Access 01-12-2018 | Letter

Do we need new trials of procalcitonin-guided antibiotic therapy? A response

Authors: Jos A. H. van Oers, Maarten W. Nijsten, Dylan W. de Lange

Published in: Critical Care | Issue 1/2018

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Excerpt

Antibiotic treatment needs to be short, appropriate (focused on the right pathogen), and adequate (at the right dosage). And still, many physicians treat patients for too long. A recent meta-analysis on procalcitonin (PCT)-guided antibiotic treatment in acute respiratory infections [1] showed that antibiotics could be shortened form 8.1 to 5.7 days. The key question is, why do physicians treat for so long? The answer may be fear! Fear of undertreatment. …
Literature
1.
Schuetz P, Wirz Y, Sager R, et al. Effect of procalcitonin-guided antibiotic treatment on mortality in acute respiratory infections: a patient level meta-analysis. Lancet Infect Dis. 2018;18:95–107.CrossRefPubMed
2.
3.
De Jong E, van Oers JA, Beishuizen A, et al. Efficacy and safety of procalcitonin guidance in reducing the duration of antibiotic treatment in critically ill patients: a randomized controlled, open-label trial. Lancet Infect Dis. 2016;16:819–27.CrossRefPubMed
4.
Wiersinga W, Bonten MJ, Boersma WG, et al. Management of community-acquired pneumonia in adults: 2016 guideline update from the Dutch Working Party on Antibiotic Policy (SWAB) and Dutch Association of Chest Physicians (NVALT). Neth J Med. 2018;76:4–13.PubMed
Metadata
Title
Do we need new trials of procalcitonin-guided antibiotic therapy? A response
Authors
Jos A. H. van Oers
Maarten W. Nijsten
Dylan W. de Lange
Publication date
01-12-2018
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Critical Care / Issue 1/2018
Electronic ISSN: 1364-8535
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13054-018-2008-y

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