Journal
BMC INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Volume 14, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
BMC
DOI: 10.1186/1471-2334-14-140
Keywords
Endocarditis; Treatment; Outcomes; Oral antibiotic therapy
Categories
Funding
- Research Priority Grant from the Department of Medicine of the The Ottawa Hospital
- Junior Investigator Award of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
- Career Scientist Award of the Ontario Ministry of Health/Ontario HIV Treatment Network
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Background: The role of oral antibiotic therapy in treating infective endocarditis (IE) is not well established. Methods: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE and Scopus for studies in which oral antibiotic therapy was used for the treatment of IE. Results: Seven observational studies evaluating the use oral beta-lactams (five), oral ciprofloxacin in combination with rifampin (one), and linezolid (one) for the treatment of IE caused by susceptible bacteria reported cure rates between 77% and 100%. Two other observational studies using aureomycin or sulfonamide, however, had failure rates > 75%. One clinical trial comparing oral amoxicillin versus intravenous ceftriaxone for streptococcal IE reported 100% cure in both arms but its reporting had serious methodological limitations. One small clinical trial (n = 85) comparing oral ciprofloxacin and rifampin versus conventional intravenous antibiotic therapy for uncomplicated right-sided S. aureus IE in intravenous drug users (IVDUs) reported cure rates of 89% and 90% in each arm, respectively (P = 0.9); however, drug toxicities were more common in the latter group (62% versus 3%; P < 0.01). Major limitations of this trial were lack of allocation concealment and blinding at the delivery of the study drug(s) and assessment of outcomes. Conclusion: Reported cure rates for IE treated with oral antibiotic regimens vary widely. The use of oral ciprofloxacin in combination with rifampin for uncomplicated right-sided S. aureus IE in IVDUs is supported by one small clinical trial of relatively good quality and could be considered when conventional IV antibiotic therapy is not possible.
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