READ-ICU

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  A Pilot Randomised Control Trial, in Intensive Care Patients, Comparing Seven Days Versus Two Days Treatment With Empirical Antibiotics to Treat Hospital Acquired Infection of Unknown Origin

• IRAS ID

  36261

• Contact name

  Nigel Scawn

• Eudract number

  2009-015800-25

• ISRCTN Number

  82694288

• Research summary

  Patients in intensive care units are at higher risk of hospital-acquired infections compared with those in non-critical care areas. Despite the major advances in intensive care management, hospital-acquired infection remains the leading cause of death in Intensive Care Units. Many patients die of complications associated with the infection. When patients in Intensive Care Unit are suspected of having an infection they are usually given courses of antibiotics of variable duration to reduce the risk of complications and this may take 7 days or more. This is often the case even in patients who have no evidence of infecting organisms isolated from blood or sputum samples after investigation. At present some doctors believe that extended antibiotic treatment for this category of patients may be harmful. By reducing the duration of antibiotic treatment for patients with unconfirmed infecting organisms it is thought that this has the potential to reduce the spread of antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria such as MRSA and to decrease the incidence of the serious secondary infections with clostridium difficile. However, there is no firm evidence to guide doctors as which is the best treatment strategy. This study will compare the progress of patients suspected of having an infection treated with a shortened course of broad spectrum antibiotics (2 days) as compared to the usual 7 days or more.

• REC name

  Wales REC 3

• REC reference

  09/MRE09/64

• Date of REC Opinion

  19 Jan 2010

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion