Patients who had surgery for bone and joint infections did just as well with a week or less of antibiotic pills or IV drugs as with the standard four weeks or more, provided antibiotics were also placed directly into the infected area during surgery. The randomized trial, called SOLARIO, was published Sept. 16 in the New England Journal of Medicine and found far fewer side effects in the short-course group.
For patients, the difference is substantial. The median length of treatment after surgery was 6 days in the short group and 42 days in the long group. Symptoms possibly tied to antibiotics were reported by 17.2% of short-course patients at six weeks, compared with 45.2% of those on the longer course.
