BALANCE
Bacteraemia Antibiotic Length Actually Needed for Clinical Effectiveness
Patient / Population Intervention / Exposition Comparaison Critère de jugement
In 3,608 hospitalised adults with bloodstream infection (≈55 % ICU), 7 days of adequate antibiotic therapy was non-inferior to 14 days for 90-day mortality.
N
3 608
Schéma
International multicentre RCT
Critère
90-day all-cause mortality
Pertinence
1
Résultat14.5 % vs 16.1 %; difference −1.6 pp — non-inferiority confirmed.
Daneman N, et al. N Engl J Med. 2025;392(11):1065-1078. 10.1056/NEJMoa2404991
Discussion et critique
7 days becomes the new default for most non-staphylococcal bacteraemia, including in ICU patients. S. aureus, endocarditis and deep-seated foci were excluded.