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

Abstract Objective: We aimed to determine, the proportion of elderly patients hospitalized 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, hospitalized for CAP between November 2018 and August 2019, were analyzed retrospectively. The American Thoracic Society (ATS) clinical stability criteria (temperature 37° 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