Efficacy and Safety of a Protocol Using C-reactive Protein to Guide Antibiotic Therapy

"Antibiotic therapy discontinuation will be encouraged under the following conditions:~If the peak CRP is below 100 mg/L: Consider stopping antibiotics when CRP falls below 35 mg/L, with a minimum treatment duration of 3 days.~If the peak CRP is above 100 mg/L or the patient meets criteria for sepsis or septic shock: Consider stopping antibiotics when CRP has decreased by 50%, after a minimum of 5 days.~If the patient does not meet the CRP criteria: Antibiotic discontinuation will be recommended after 5-7 days, provided there is clinical improvement.~Before discontinuing antibiotic therapy, physicians should confirm that the patient is clinically improving, with no signs of a persistent infectious focus. Additionally, they will be encouraged to verify that the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score is stable or decreasing. These factors will assist in determining the appropriateness of stopping antibiotics."