Efficacy of azithromycin in sepsis-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome: a retrospective study and propensity score analysis

PURPOSE: Acute respiratory distress syndrome is a life-threatening form of respiratory failure without an established pharmacological treatment. Recently, macrolides have been found to be beneficial in cases of acute lung injury, but evidence is limited. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This single-centre retrospective cohort evaluation of hospitalized patients with sepsis-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome aimed to assess the impact of azithromycin on clinical outcomes by using a propensity score analysis. All data were collected prospectively as part of ongoing research on high-resolution computed tomography of acute respiratory distress syndrome. The primary outcome was 60-day mortality; the secondary outcome was the number of ventilator-free days. RESULTS: Twenty-nine of 125 patients with sepsis-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome (23.2 %) received azithromycin within 24 h after acute respiratory distress syndrome diagnosis. After adjusting for potentially confounding covariates, azithromycin use was associated with lower 60-day mortality (hazard ratio, 0.31; 95 % confidence interval, 0.11–082; P = 0.02) and a shorter time to successful discontinuation of mechanical ventilation. CONCLUSIONS: Azithromycin use was associated with decreased mortality and ventilator dependency in patients with sepsis-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome. Further well-designed prospective studies are needed. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40064-016-2866-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.