title: [Duration of antibiotic therapy for ventilator-associated pneumonia: comparison of 7 and 10 days. A pilot study].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the efficiency of a 7-day antibiotics regimen with a 10-day regimen for ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective randomized study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adults patients ventilated for more than 48 hours in the intensive care unit (ICU) with a clinical diagnosis of VAP documented by positive quantitative cultures of tracheal aspiration were included in this study. All included patients were randomized in two groups. Ten-day group: 10 days antibiotic therapy, and 7-day group: 7 days antibiotic therapy. Primary judgment criteria were 14- and 28-day mortality, the number of days without antibiotics. Secondary judgments criteria were rate of recurrent pulmonary infection, the evolution of the clinical pulmonary infection scores (CPIS), the length of ICU stay and the length of mechanical ventilation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty patients were included in this study (16 in the 10-day group and 14 in the 7-day group). The demographic and clinical characteristics of the groups assigned to receive antibiotic therapy for 7 or 10 days were generally similar. The 14-day and 28-day mortality rate following VAP onset were 31.2 and 37.5% in the 10-day group and 7.1 and 35.7% in the 7-day group. The difference was not significant. The number of day without antibiotics and without mechanical ventilation turned out: 1.75 and 2.06 days versus 4.14 and 3.43 days in the 10-day group and 7-day group respectively, the recurrent rate of pulmonary infection (12.5% versus 14.3%, p=0.6), the length of stay in the ICU (27.7 days versus 26.0 days, p=0.8) and the evolution of the CPIS were no different in the two groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients with microbiologically confirmed VAP who received appropriate empirical antibiotic therapy, a 7-day antibiotic regimen was as efficient clinically and microbiologically as a 10-day antibiotic regimen with a reduction of antibiotic use.
authors.affiliation: Service de réanimation médicale, CHU Taher Sfar, Jbal Dar Waja 5100 Hiboun Mahdia, Tunisie.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fekih Hassen
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ayed
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ben Sik Ali
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gharbi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marghli
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Elatrous
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003422:Critical Care; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D053717:Pneumonia, Ventilator-Associated / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents