Abbreviated antibiotic therapy for the treatment of postpartum endometritis

Standard antimicrobial therapy for postpartum endometritis usually consists of several days of intravenous antibiotics followed by up to ten days of oral therapy. In an effort to decrease the length of hospitalization and duration of antibiotic use, 54 patients were placed on an abbreviated antibiotic protocol. Therapy consisted of intravenous gentamicin and clindamycin until the patient's temperature remained lower than 99.5F for 24 hours, at which time intravenous antibiotics were discontinued and the patient was discharged immediately without oral medication. No morbidity secondary to the abbreviated regimen was observed. Further, the duration of hospitalization and antibiotic therapy of the study group were significantly shorter than similar data from a group of historic controls. These observations suggest that an abbreviated course of antibiotics, based upon the patient's "therapeutic response," may be a safe and cost-effective alternative to the currently practiced therapeutic regimen.