Antibiotic prophylaxis reduced broad-spectrum antibiotics and length of stay in ICU patients with alcohol withdrawal induced refractory delirium tremens.

Background: Pneumonia is a well-known complication in patients with severe alcohol withdrawal syndrome (SAWS). Antibiotic prophylaxis in ICU treated SAWS patients may be beneficial but data is lacking. The aims of this study were to investigate the effect of introduction of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) prophylaxis, on use of broad-spectrum antibiotics and ICU length of stay (LOS) in SAWS patients with refractory delirium tremens (rDT).