A Placebo-Controlled Trial of Antimicrobial Treatment for Acute Otitis Media

In this study of stringently defined acute otitis media in children in Finland, amoxicillin–clavulanate was shown to significantly reduce the rate of treatment failure and the need for rescue treatment but was associated with more diarrhea and rash. Acute otitis media is the most common bacterial infection during early childhood. 1 Antimicrobial agents have been the primary treatment for this infection since the 1950s, when the first studies showed that antimicrobial therapy improved the outcome. 2 , 3 Nevertheless, there is no consensus regarding the optimal management of acute otitis media. 1 Because the treatment of acute otitis media is a major reason for the use of antimicrobial agents in the outpatient setting, experts have called for these agents to be used judiciously. 4 , 5 Several guidelines for the management of acute otitis media recommend an observation period before antimicrobial therapy is even . . .