{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Communicable","title":"Communicable E36: Finding BALANCE in antibiotic durations—the BALANCE trial","html":"<iframe width=\"100%\" height=\"180\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless src=\"https://share.transistor.fm/e/b680895e\"></iframe>","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":4173,"description":"In this second-ever collaboration between SIDP’s Breakpoints and ESCMID’s Communicable podcasts, hosts Erin McCreary and Angela Huttner invite the two principal investigators and visionaries who spearheaded the Bacteraemia Antibiotic Length Actually Needed for Clinical Effectiveness (BALANCE) trial, Nick Daneman and Rob Fowler (Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto), for a “deep dive into all things that went into this trial” (1). The BALANCE trial spanned over ten years investigating - as the acronym title suggests - whether a shorter treatment duration of seven days was non-inferior to the standard of care of fourteen days for bacteraemia. The conversation covers everything from the initial hallway discussions that sparked the trial to the trial itself that screened over 36,000 patients and enrolled +3,600, its key takeaways and its impact on clinical practice as well as what’s next for Daneman and Fowler.This episode was edited by Kathryn Hostettler and Megan Klatt, and peer reviewed by Dr. Arjana Zerja of Mother Theresa University Hospital Centre, Tirana, Albania.Related podcast episodesCommunicable episode 36: Finding BALANCE in antibiotic durations—the BALANCE trial https://share.transistor.fm/s/b680895eCommunicable episode 26: SNAP out of it—rethinking anti-staphylococcal penicillins for S. aureus bacteremia, the SNAP trial PSSA/MSSA results https://share.transistor.fm/s/2a3c3bb4Breakpoints episode covering IDWeek (December 2024) https://breakpoints-sidp.org/108-idweek-2024-recap-late-breaker-abstracts-and-stewardship-talks/ ReferencesBALANCE Investigators, et al.  Antibiotic Treatment for 7 versus 14 Days in Patients with Bloodstream Infections. N Engl J Med. 2025 March. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2404991Further reading Fowler VG. Eight days a week – BALANCING duration and efficacy. N Engl J Med. 2025 March. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMe2414037   Dulhunty JM, et al. Continuous vs Intermittent β-Lactam Antibiotic Infusions in Critically Ill Patients With Sepsis: The...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/F1uynrSfsLDbVinPAiwWYhP6_vieUfUa5RwmCidCSDQ/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9lYmMw/NjhkMjRlMTFjN2My/MGNiYjc5M2Y2YWQ2/NmQxOC5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}