Article: Study: Failure of Initial Antibiotic Therapy Leads to Higher Mortality Rates, Increased Costs.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Oct. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Research conducted by a team of investigators, including Dr. David J. Weber of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Division of Infectious Diseases, shows that the failure of initial intravenous antibiotic therapy in hospital patients with complicated skin and skin structure infections may cost the U.S. health-care system more than $800 million each year and result in increased patient deaths.

According to the study, patients experiencing initial antibiotic treatment failure were three times more likely to die in the hospital than were patients whose therapy did not fail. In addition, the patients whose ...