Is Antibiotic Therapy Helpful for Preventing Infection After Acute Stroke?

Eight studies with a total of 4,488 participants were included, 2,230 in the antibiotic group and 2,258 in the control group. Six studies had a specific antibiotic and route of administration (all different), whereas 2 deferred to local antibiotic policy. All studies included adults; 2 of them included hemorrhagic in addition to ischemic strokes. The mean age and the mean National Institutes of Health Scales scores were similar between the groups. Prophylactic antibiotics were associated with lower risk of overall infection (risk ratio 0.71 [95% confidence interval 0.58 to 0.88]) and urinary tract infection (risk ratio 0.40 [95% confidence interval 0.32 to 0.51]) but not other specific infectious processes (eg, pneumonia) or mortality.

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