title: Treatment recommendations for patients with common respiratory tract infections with variables indicative of treatment failure.
abstract: Treatment with an appropriate antimicrobial agent significantly decreases the bacterial burden and reduces the risk of a patient progressing to a more severe infection. When evaluating the use of antibiotics, practitioners should consider such factors as the local resistance patterns of common respiratory pathogens, the likelihood of infection with a resistant organism, and the potential for treatment failure. Recent antibiotic use is a risk factor for treatment failure. For patients with risk factors predictive of treatment failure, beta-lactams (usually in combination with a beta-lactamase inhibitor or a macrolide) and fluoroquinolones are most commonly recommended.
authors.affiliation: New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Raymond S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Basri
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Weiland
authors.forename: Greg L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Ledgerwood
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D029481:Bronchitis, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D016903:Drug Monitoring; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000592:standards; D005194:Family Practice / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D018579:Patient Selection; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000592:standards; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012852:Sinusitis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D017211:Treatment Failure
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents