Antibiotics in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 infections

Investigators examined whether certain antibiotics could benefit hospitalized patients with nonsevere COVID-19 infections.

In a retrospective study published in JAMA Network Open, the investigators analyzed the outcomes of more than 500,000 adult patients hospitalized with nonsevere COVID-19 infections who received community-acquired pneumonia antibiotics upon admission. The patients included in the study were immunocompetent.

The 30% of patients who received the empiric antibiotic regimen were more likely to experience adverse outcomes, including clinical deterioration and in-hospital mortality on Day 2 or later, compared with those who didn’t receive antibiotic treatment. However, the composite outcome was clinically nonsignificant.

Because of the negative findings, the investigators emphasized that antibiotics should not be used in this patient population. They concluded that unnecessary antibiotic treatment could contribute to the higher prevalence of antibiotic-resistant infections and increase the risk of adverse outcomes among patients.

Read more: JAMA Network Open

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