4. Antimicrobial Treatment Regimens
Despite the controversy regarding the role of anaerobic bacteria and M. genitalium in the pathogenesis of acute PID, the polymicrobic nature of PID is widely acknowledged .As a consequence, PID is treated with antibiotics which provide coverage against a broad spectrum of potential pathogens. In 2010 the Center for Disease Control and Prevention updated their Guidelines for treatment of acute PID. According to the CDC 2010 guidelines, PID treatment regimens must provide empiric, broad spectrum coverage of likely pathogens .These guidelines recommend that all treatment regimens should be effective against N. gonorrhoeae and C. trachomatis even in the presence of negative endocervical screening for these organisms. Although the CDC notes that the need to eradicate anaerobes from women with PID has not been definitively determined, as reviewed above, they suggest that until regimens without adequate coverage for anaerobes have been shown to prevent long-term sequelae as successfully as those that include anaerobic coverage, coverage of anaerobes should be considered in the treatment of acute PID.
4.1. Parenteral Treatment
As noted in , several parenteral antimicrobial regimens have excellent short-term clinical and microbiological efficacy. Most of the literature supports the combination of (1) cefoxitin or cefotetan plus doxycycline and (2) clindamycin plus gentamicin. These two regimens remain the parenteral regimens recommended by the CDC for the treatment of PID. However, cefotetan is not currently marketed in the United States.
4.2. Oral Treatment
Over the past 20 years, a new paradigm has emerged with a dramatic shift from hospital-based parenteral antibiotic regimens to oral ambulatory-based regimens. Initially, this shift was largely driven by the emergence of managed care and other economic factors without the benefit of clinical studies demonstrating that oral therapy was as effective as parenteral regimens, especially for prevention of long-term sequelae.
4.3. Hospitalization for Treatment of Acute PID
While in the past, and to a lesser extent today, some clinicians have recommended that all patients with PID be hospitalized for parenteral antibiotics and bed rest, the PEACH study clearly demonstrated that in women with mild-to-moderately severe PID, outpatient oral therapy results in similar short- and long-term clinical outcomes as inpatient therapy .As a result, the CDC notes that a decision regarding the need for hospitalization should be based on the judgment of the health-care provider and whether the patient meets any of the CDC suggested criteria for hospitalizations