Early Switch From Intravenous to Oral Antibiotics and Early Hospital Discharge

Abstract
IT IS ESTIMATED that half a million patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) are hospitalized every year in the United States.1 The initial treatment of these patients typically includes the use of empiric intravenous antibiotics for likely pulmonary pathogens.2 Although some physicians believe the standard of care should consist of at least 7 days of intravenous antibiotic therapy,3 recent clinical trials indicate that antibiotic therapy can be safely changed from intravenous to oral (switch therapy) once the hospitalized patient with CAP shows evidence of clinical improvement.4-8