Does a 5-day course of antibiotics in elderly patients with community-acquired pneumonia achieve the established criteria of clinical stability?

Objective: We aimed to determine the proportion of elderly patients hospitalised for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in whom a 5-day antibiotic therapy would achieve clinical stability according to American Thoracic Society (ATS) criteria. Methods: Patients aged >= 75 years, hospitalised for CAP between November 2018 and August 2019, were analysed retrospectively. The American Thoracic Society (ATS) clinical stability criteria (temperature <= 37 degrees C, heart rate <= 100/min, respiratory rate <= 24/min, systolic blood pressure >= 90 mmHg, oxygen saturation > 90% in room air) were assessed after five days of antibiotic therapy. Results: Seventy-five patients (mean age 88 years, 49% requiring oxygen therapy) were included. Six died, and at day 5, 36/69 (52%) fulfilled 4/5 stability criteria. The median duration of treatment was 9 days. In 28 patients (41%), it was <= 7 days. Conclusion: In 52% of elderly patients with CAP, a 5-day treatment regimen resulted in clinical stability. (C) 2020 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study retrospectively analyzed elderly patients hospitalized for CAP and found that a 5-day antibiotic therapy resulted in clinical stability in 52% of patients. The median duration of treatment was 9 days, with 41% of patients receiving treatment for 7 days or less.