Antibiotic Therapy in the Treatment of COVID-19 Pneumonia: Who and When?

ABSTRACT: COVID-19 imposes challenges in antibiotic decision-making due to similarities between bacterial pneumonia and moderate to severe COVID-19. We evaluated the effects of antibiotic therapy on the clinical outcomes of COVID-19 pneumonia patients and diagnostic accuracy of key inflammatory markers to inform antibiotic decision-making. An observational cohort study was conducted in patients hospitalised with COVID-19 at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases and Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, from January to April 2020. Patients were defined as receiving empiric antibiotic treatment for COVID-19 if started within 3 days of diagnosis. Of 717 patients included, 86 (12.0%) were treated with antibiotics and 26 (3.6%) had documented bacterial infections. Among 278 patients with COVID-19 pneu

SUBMITTER: Ng TM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8868256 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature