Spectrum: Local Antimicrobial Stewardship, for Eastern Health

Acute Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Exacerbation Duration of Therapy

Recommended Duration

5 days

Shortest Duration

Minimum duration studied without evidence of reduced efficacy

5 days

Excluded Patients

Only for patients meeting criteria for antibiotic treatment

Additional Notes

  • Shorter duration of 5 days has been extensively studied using multiple different drug classes, in inpatient and outpatient populations, with consistently equivalent results

  • However there is still no comment on duration in major society guidelines

  • Adapted from AMMI Canada Position Statement on the Appropriate Duration of Antimicrobial Therapy (2018

More Information

References
  1. El Moussaoui R, Roede B, Speelman P et al., Short-course antibiotic treatment in acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis and COPD: a meta-analysis of double-blind studies, Thorax, 63:415–422. 2008