Drugs Show Similar Success in Treating Osteomyelitis

FRIDAY, May 9 (HealthDay News) -- Fluoroquinolones performed equally as well as β-lactams in treating osteomyelitis, with similar rates for a variety of relevant outcomes, according to the results of a meta-analysis published in the May 1 issue of Spine.

Eirinaios M. Karamanis, M.D., of the Alfa Institute of Biomedical Sciences in Athens, Greece, and colleagues included seven randomized controlled trials in their analysis, which used ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin and pefloxacin, and various β-lactams that were mostly administered intravenously.

There was no difference in the primary outcome, treatment success, between the fluoroquinolones and the β-lactams, the researchers report. Nor were there differences in the secondary outcomes, including bacteriological success -- the absence of all causative organisms from culture at the end of follow-up -- superinfections, relapses or adverse events. Another positive aspect of the fluoroquinolones is that they can be administered orally, which many patients find preferable, the report indicates.

"In conclusion, fluoroquinolones proved as effective as β-lactams for the treatment of osteomyelitis, and thus could be considered as a useful alternative in the physician's armamentarium, especially for the oral treatment of osteomyelitis in an outpatient setting. However, they should be used with caution and according to the resistance patterns of the pathogens in each setting, so as to preserve their potency against increasingly resistant bacteria," the authors conclude.

Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)