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Emergency Medical Minute


 

Sep 20, 2017

Author: Chris Holmes, M.D.

Educational Pearls

  • There’s little/no data about the necessary length of an antibiotic course, nor has it proven that stopping a course of antibiotics early selects for the most resistant bugs.
  • There’s little incentive for drug companies to fund this type of study.
  • Pro-calcitonin levels have been used in some settings to distinguish if an infection has resolved or not, but this may not be feasible in an outpatient setting.

References: Llewelyn, Martin J et al. The antibiotic course has had its day. 2017. BMJ