An Italian Experience of Sequential Intravenous and Oral Azithromycin Plus Intravenous Ampicillin/Sulbactam in Hospitalized Patients with Community-Acquired Pneumonia

Abstract The efficacy and safety of intravenous (i.v.) azithromycin followed by the oral form, given in addition to i.v. ampicillin-sulbactam, were evaluated in 151 patients hospitalized due to community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Azithromycin 500 mg i.v. once daily plus ampicillin/sulbactam 3 g i.v. twice daily were administered for 2-5 days, then followed by oral azithromycin 500 mg once daily plus the same i.v. ampicillin/sulbactam regimen for a total of 7-10 days of treatment. The clinical response at day 14 was definedas cure, improvement or failure (with the addition of relapse at follow-up at day 30). The other efficacy measures included microbiological (eradication, presumed eradication, persistence, relapse, superinfection) and radiological (resolution, improvement, failure) findings, and outcome of signs and symptoms. Adverse events, vital signs and routine laboratory tests were the safety variables. The number and rate of patients with a positive clinical outcome at day 14 (cured + improved) in ...