Reducing antibiotic use for acute bronchitis in primary care: blinded, randomised controlled trial of patient information leaflet. Decreasing antibiotic use in ambulatory practice: impact of a multidimensional intervention on the treatment of uncomplicated acute bronchitis in adults. Inhaled antibiotic therapy in non-cystic fibrosis patients with bronchiectasis and chronic bronchial infection by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. [Antibiotic treatment for acute episodes of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]. Efficacy and tolerability of myrtol standardized in long-term treatment of chronic bronchitis. A double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Study Group Investigators. A randomized, controlled trial of doxycycline in the treatment of acute bronchitis. Amoxicillin in treatment of acute uncomplicated exacerbations of chronic bronchitis. A double-blind, placebo-controlled multicentre study in general practice. Management of bronchiolitis without antibiotics: a multicentre randomized control trial in Bangladesh. Short-course empiric antibiotic therapy for patients with pulmonary infiltrates in the intensive care unit. A proposed solution for indiscriminate antibiotic prescription.
To assess whether sharing the uncertainty of the value of antibiotics for acute bronchitis in the form of written and verbal advice affects the likelihood of patients taking antibiotics.
                Nested, single blind, randomised controlled trial.
                Three suburban general practices in Nottingham Participants: 259 previously well adults presenting with acute bronchitis.
                In group A, 212 patients were judged by their general practitioner not to need antibiotics that day but were given a prescription to use if they got worse and standard verbal reassurance. Half of them (106) were also given an information leaflet. All patients in group B (47) were judged to need antibiotics and were given a prescription and encouraged to use it.
                Antibiotic use in the next two weeks. Reconsultation for the same symptoms in the next month.
                In group A fewer patients who received the information leaflet took antibiotics compared with those who did not receive the leaflet (49 v 63, risk ratio 0.76, 95% confidence interval 0.59 to 0.97, P=0.04). Numbers reconsulting were similar (11 v 14). In group B, 44 patients took the antibiotics.
                Most previously well adults with acute bronchitis were judged not to need antibiotics. Reassuring these patients and sharing the uncertainty about prescribing in a information leaflet supported by verbal advice is a safe strategy and reduces antibiotic use. The emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae in US communities is due, in part, to the excessive use of antibiotics for acute respiratory tract infections.
                To decrease total antibiotic use for uncomplicated acute bronchitis in adults.
                Prospective, nonrandomized controlled trial, including baseline (November 1996-February 1997) and study (November 1997-February 1998) periods.
                Four selected primary care practices belonging to a group-model health maintenance organization in the Denver, Colo, metropolitan area.
                Consecutive adults diagnosed as having uncomplicated acute bronchitis. A total of 2462 adults were included at baseline and 2027 adults were included in the study. Clinicians included 56 physicians, 28 physician assistants or nurse practitioners, and 9 registered nurses.
                The full intervention site received household and office-based patient educational materials, as well as a clinician intervention consisting of education, practice-profiling, and academic detailing. A limited intervention site received only office-based educational materials, and control sites provided usual care.
                Antibiotic prescriptions for uncomplicated acute bronchitis during baseline and study periods.
                Antibiotic prescription rates for uncomplicated acute bronchitis were similar at all 4 sites during the baseline period. During the study period, there was a substantial decline in antibiotic prescription rates at the full intervention site (from 74% to 48% [P = .003]), but not at the control and limited intervention sites (78% to 76% [P = .81] and 82% to 77% [P = .68], respectively). Compared with control sites, changes in nonantibiotic prescriptions (inhaled bronchodilators, cough suppressants, and analgesics) were not significantly different for intervention sites. Return office visits (within 30 days of the incident visit) for bronchitis or pneumonia did not change significantly for any of the sites.
                Antibiotic treatment of adults diagnosed as having uncomplicated acute bronchitis can be safely reduced using a combination of patient and clinician interventions. The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term effectiveness and safety of inhaled antibiotic treatment in non-cystic fibrosis patients with bronchiectasis and chronic infection by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, after standard endovenous and oral therapy for long-term control of the infection had failed. After completing a 2-week endovenous antibiotic treatment to stabilize respiratory status, 17 patients were randomly allocated to a 12-month treatment either with inhaled ceftazidime and tobramycin (group A) or a symptomatic treatment (group B). One patient from group A abandoned inhaled treatment because of bronchospasm and another from group B died before the end of the study. The remaining 15 patients, seven from group A and eight from group B, completed the study. Both groups had similar previous characteristics. The number of admissions and days of admission (mean +/- SEM) of group A [0.6 (1.5) and 13.1 (34.8)] were lower than those of group B [2.5 (2.1) and 57.9 (41.8)] (P < 0.05). Forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV1), PAO2 and PACO2 were similar in the two groups at the end of follow-up, showing a comparable decline in these parameters. There were no significant differences either in the use of oral antibiotics or in the frequency of emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria between groups. Microbiological studies suggested that several patients had different Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains. None of the patients presented impaired renal or auditory function at the end of the study. This study suggests that long-term inhaled antibiotic therapy may be safe and lessen disease severity in non-cystic fibrosis patients with bronchiectasis and chronic bronchial infection by Pseudomonas aeruginosa which do not respond satisfactorily to antibiotics administered via other routes. Antibiotic therapy for acute episodes of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a controversial issue still not clarified. In order to evaluate the effectivity of the antibiotic therapy, we designed a double-blind controlled and randomized clinical trial, in which 90 patients hospitalized due to an acute episode of COPD were divided into three groups: group I, cotrimoxazole (29 patients); group II, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (32 patients) and group III, placebo (29 patients). Gasometric and spirometric measures were taken in addition to clinical evaluation at hospital admission and discharge using a numerical valoration system. All patients were treated with common bronchodilators. The three groups were homogeneous at their admission and there were no statistical differences at their discharge. We conclude that antibiotics do not play a relevant role in the improvement of acute episodes of COPD. This multicenter, placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized parallel-group trial was conducted to investigate the efficacy and tolerability of myrtol standardized (MYS, Gelomyrtol forte, 3 x 300 mg) in the long-term treatment of patients with chronic bronchitis during the winter. 246 patients received the investigational treatments (MYS: 122, placebo: 124) for at least 1 month; 215 subjects (110 under MYS and 105 under placebo) were evaluable in terms of efficacy (exacerbation rate, the need for antibiotics, symptom scores and general well-being) for the protocol-defined 6 months of treatment. Statistically significantly (p < 0.01) more patients remained without acute exacerbation in the myrtol standardized group (72%) compared to the placebo group (53%). In the placebo group, there was an evident peak in the incidence of exacerbations during the third month of treatment, which was not observed in the active treatment group. In the MYS group, 51.6% of the patients with an acute exacerbation required antibiotics vs. 61.2% under placebo. 62.5% of the patients treated with antibiotics in the MYS group required them for < or = 7 days, whereas 76.7% of the patients in the placebo group treated with antibiotics for exacerbation needed antibiotics for > 7 days. Well-being (assessed in terms of general health and health impairment by cough and expectoration) was significantly better under treatment with MYS. The overall therapeutic efficacy evaluation scored higher for MYS. Therefore, it is concluded that long-term treatment with MYS is equally well tolerated as placebo but is clearly superior in efficacy in terms of protecting against acute exacerbations in patients with chronic bronchitis: it reduces the frequency and intensity of acute exacerbations, the need of antibiotics for them and the health impairment by cough and expectoration. Acute bronchitis is a common reason for visits to primary care physicians and a commonly given reason for antibiotic treatment. However, evidence regarding the efficacy of antibiotics for this syndrome is lacking. In a randomized trial, a one-week course of a frequently used antibiotic, doxycycline, was compared with one week of placebo in 74 otherwise healthy adults with acute bronchitis. The doxycycline group fared no better than the placebo group for all 13 outcomes measured, including duration of cough, clinical improvement at one week, return visits for unresolved symptoms, days away from work, and subjective ratings of cough severity, sleep loss, diminished activity and overall well-being. Doxycycline is not beneficial in the treatment of acute bronchitis in otherwise healthy adults. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether a broad-spectrum penicillin, amoxicillin, was superior to placebo in resolving symptoms of acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis in patients from general practice. 131 general practitioners included 278 patients over a period of 30 months. The patients were randomly assigned to treatment with amoxicillin 750 mg b.i.d. or corresponding placebo for 7 days. Patients with pneumonia, a temperature above 38.5 degrees C or heart rate over 100 were excluded for safety reasons. The main effect parameter--the doctors' overall evaluation of the treatment--did not demonstrate any statistically significant difference between amoxicillin or placebo, 63% versus 64% of the patients. Resolution of symptoms was obtained by 19% (25/132) of the patients in the amoxicillin group compared with 10% (13/136) of the patients in the placebo group, P = 0.03. The present findings do not favour routine use of antibiotics in an attempt to improve the course of acute exacerbations as defined in this study in patients with chronic bronchitis. To ascertain that antibiotics have no role in the management of bronchiolitis.
                Multicentre randomized control trial (RCT).
                Five purposively selected teaching hospitals in Bangladesh.
                Children under 24 months old with bronchiolitis.
                Children were randomized into three groups of therapeutic interventions: parenteral ampicillin (P-Ab), oral erythromycin (O-Ab) and no antibiotic (N-Ab) in adjunct to supportive measures.
                Clinical improvement was assessed using 18 symptoms/signs which were graded on a two-point recovery scale of 'rapid' and 'gradual', indicating improvement within 'four days' and 'beyond four days', respectively.
                Each intervention group consisted of 98 +/- 1 children having comparable clinico-epidemiological characteristics at the baseline. The trial revealed that most chesty features (features appearing to arise from chest, i.e. cough, breathing difficulty, wheeze, chest indrawing, tachypnoea, tachycardia, rhonchi and crepitation) demonstrated a gradual recovery, beyond 4th admission day and, not differing among the three intervention groups (p > 0.23, p < 0.62, p = 0.54, p < 0.27, p = 0.75, p = 0.76, p = 0.81, p > 0.98, respectively). Most non-chesty features (features appearing to arise away from chest, i.e. feeding/sleeping difficulties, social smile, restlessness, inconsolable crying, nasal flaring, fever and hypoxaemia) demonstrated a rapid recovery, within 4 days, remaining comparable among the three intervention groups (p < 0.07, p = 0.65, p = 0.24, p < 0.61, p = 0.22, p = 0.84, p = 0.29 and p = 0.96, respectively). However, nasal symptoms (runny nose and nasal blockage) also showed no difference among groups (p = 0.36 and p = 0.66, respectively). Thus, the dynamics of clinical outcome obviates that children not receiving antibiotics had similar clinical outcome than those who did.
                In hospital settings, managing bronchiolitis with only supportive measures but without antibiotics remains preferable. Inappropriate antibiotic use for pulmonary infiltrates is common in the intensive care unit (ICU). We sought to devise an approach that would minimize unnecessary antibiotic use, recognizing that a gold standard for the diagnosis of nosocomial pneumonia does not exist. In a randomized trial, clinical pulmonary infection score (CPIS) (Pugin, J., R. Auckenthaler, N. Mili, J. P. Janssens, R. D. Lew, and P. M. Suter. Diagnosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia by bacteriologic analysis of bronchoscopic and nonbronchoscopic "blind" bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Am. Rev. Respir. Dis. 1991;143: 1121-1129) was used as operational criteria for decision-making regarding antibiotic therapy. Patients with CPIS </= 6 (implying low likelihood of pneumonia) were randomized to receive either standard therapy (choice and duration of antibiotics at the discretion of physicians) or ciprofloxacin monotherapy with reevaluation at 3 d; ciprofloxacin was discontinued if CPIS remained </= 6 at 3 d. Antibiotics were continued beyond 3 d in 90% (38 of 42) of the patients in the standard as therapy compared with 28% (11 of 39) in the experimental therapy group (p = 0.0001). In patients in whom CPIS remained </= 6 at the 3 d evaluation point, antibiotics were still continued in 96% (24 of 25) in the standard therapy group but in 0% (0 of 25) of the patients in the experimental therapy group (p = 0.0001). Mortality and length of ICU stay did not differ despite a shorter duration (p = 0.0001) and lower cost (p = 0.003) of antimicrobial therapy in the experimental as compared with the standard therapy arm. Antimicrobial resistance, or superinfections, or both, developed in 15% (5 of 37) of the patients in the experimental versus 35% (14 of 37) of the patients in the standard therapy group (p = 0.017). Thus, overtreatment with antibiotics is widely prevalent, but unnecessary in most patients with pulmonary infiltrates in the ICU. The operational criteria used, regardless of the precise definition of pneumonia, accurately identified patients with pulmonary infiltrates for whom monotherapy with a short course of antibiotics was appropriate. Such an approach led to significantly lower antimicrobial therapy costs, antimicrobial resistance, and superinfections without adversely affecting the length of stay or mortality.
There is limited evidence to support the use of antibiotics in acute bronchitis. Antibiotics may have a modest beneficial effect in some patients with acute bronchitis though data on subsets of patients who may benefit more from treatment is lacking. However, the magnitude of this benefit needs to be considered in the broader context of potential side effects, medicalisation for a self limiting condition, increased resistance to respiratory pathogens and cost of antibiotic treatment.