Can bacteremic patients be treated for 7 days rather than 14?

BALANCE trial and three smaller RCTs provide guidance

More than half a million bloodstream infections occur annually in the U.S. and are estimated to cause nearly 100,000 deaths, with worldwide totals many times higher.

Treatment courses for many severe infections have been reduced in length with no apparent detriment, but most trials testing antibiotic durations have excluded patients with bacteremia. Sur…