#5-64E. Rethinking Duration: Response-Tailored Antibiotics for Infective Endocarditis (NEJM, 2026)

Could a response-tailored approach safely shorten the traditional six-week antibiotic course for left-sided infective endocarditis? The POET II trial demonstrated that for clinically stable patients, discontinuing antibiotics early based on objective stabilization criteria significantly reduced antibiotic exposure by 15 days, demonstrating safety noninferiority. However, this tailored regimen carried a significantly higher relapse rate compared to standard therapy, and the trial's generalizability is limited by its highly selected, mostly Danish study population. Ultimately, these findings enable clinicians to thoughtfully personalize therapy duration, minimizing hospital stays and drug toxicities while remaining highly vigilant for potential infectious relapse.Citation: Bundgaard H, Pries-Heje M, Hjulmand J, et al. Response-Tailored or Standard-Duration Antibiotic Treatment for Infective Endocarditis. N Engl J Med. 2026. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2607887 URL: https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2607887Disclaimer: This audio summary is based on personal interpretation and does not guarantee the exact content of the original paper. Please refer to the original article for details.