The national practice guideline for treating MRSA-related
pneumonia is seven to 21 days. A Henry Ford Hospital study found
that effective treatment can be done in half the time.
Researchers found that 40 percent of patients were treated for
eight to 13 days on a therapy of the antibiotics vancomycin or
linezolid, and had the highest survival rate. The Henry Ford
study is believed to be the first to evaluate the length of
treatment for MRSA-related pneumonia. The study is being
presented Friday at the annual Infectious Diseases Society of
America meeting in San Diego. "Based on our study, clinicians
can effectively treat their patients within eight to 13 days,
thus minimizing patients' exposure to antibiotics and their side
effects," says Hadeel Zainah, M.D., a second-year Infectious
Diseases fellow at Henry Ford and the study's lead author. MRSA-
related pneumonia is a respiratory illness that typically
follows a bout of the flu. Symptoms include a cough, sore
throat, head ache, shortness of breath, fever and