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Core IM | Internal Medicine Podcast · Dec 10, 2025 · 21 min

#195 Antibiotic Duration & BALANCE Trial: Beyond Journal Club with NEJM Group

Antibiotic duration for bacteremia is something most of us learned by habit, not by trial data. In this episode, we walk through the BALANCE trial and use it as a lens to revisit how 1) host, 2) organism, and 3) source should guide treatment. When shorter really is enough, and when it isn’t? 🔹 Sponsor: Oakstone CME Use the code "CORE30" for 30% off: https://www.coreimpodcast.com/MKSAP 🔹 Transcript and Shownotes Timestamp (02:58) | Host, Organism, Source: The Core Framework Behind Duration (09:02) | How Evidence Shifted Practice (11:27) | The BALANCE Trial: Short-Course vs Standard-Course Therapy (18:55) | Where does this leave us? Tags: CoreIM, Internal Medicine, Infectious disease, Evidence-Based Medicine, Clinical Reasoning, Hospital Medicine, Medical Education Find the best disability insurance for you: https://www.patternlife.com/disability-insurance?campid=497840 Our Sponsors: * Check out CovePure and use my code CovePure.com/coreim for a great deal: https://covepure.com * Check out ElevenReader and use my code PODCAST for a great deal: https://elevenreader.io * Check out FIGS: https://wearfigs.com Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

0:00-21:44

transcript

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show notes

Antibiotic duration for bacteremia is something most of us learned by habit, not by trial data. In this episode, we walk through the BALANCE trial and use it as a lens to revisit how 1) host, 2) organism, and 3) source should guide treatment. When shorter really is enough, and when it isn’t?

🔹 Sponsor: Oakstone CME

Use the code "CORE30" for 30% off: https://www.coreimpodcast.com/MKSAP 

🔹 Transcript and Shownotes

Timestamp

(02:58) | Host, Organism, Source: The Core Framework Behind Duration

(09:02) | How Evidence Shifted Practice

(11:27) | The BALANCE Trial: Short-Course vs Standard-Course Therapy

(18:55) | Where does this leave us?


Tags: CoreIM, Internal Medicine, Infectious disease, Evidence-Based Medicine, Clinical Reasoning, Hospital Medicine, Medical Education



Find the best disability insurance for you: https://www.patternlife.com/disability-insurance?campid=497840

Our Sponsors:
* Check out CovePure and use my code CovePure.com/coreim for a great deal: https://covepure.com
* Check out ElevenReader and use my code PODCAST for a great deal: https://elevenreader.io
* Check out FIGS: https://wearfigs.com


Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
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