Table 3.

Starting days and crude event rates for different macrolides and fluoroquinolones

Macrolides		Azithromycin	Clarithromycin	Erythromycin
Patients with antibiotic any time during admission		207	250	277
Starting day of antibiotic during admission¶		1 (0–2)	0 (0–1)	0 (0–0)
Percentage starting antibiotic intravenously §		–	–	263 (94.9%)
Cardiac event	a) Any type	11 (5.3%)	18 (7.2%)	31 (11.2%)
	b) Heart failure	9 (4.3%)	14 (5.6%)	26 (9.4%)
	c) Arrhythmia	6 (2.9%)	5 (2%)	10 (3.6%)
Fluoroquinolones		Ciprofloxacin	Levofloxacin	Moxifloxacin
Patients with antibiotic any time during admission		234*	194	566
Starting day of antibiotic during admission¶		1 (0–3)	0 (0–0)	0 (0–0)
Percentage starting antibiotic intravenously		76 (32.5%)	111 (57.2%)	394 (69.6%)
Cardiac event	a) Any type	9 (3.8%)	5 (2.6%)	23 (4.1%)
	b) Heart failure	9 (3.8%)	3 (1.5%)	16 (2.8%)
	c) Arrhythmia	5 (2.1%)	3 (1.5%)	11 (1.9%)

Values are numbers (percentages) unless otherwise noted. ¶Median (interquartile range) *One patient received ofloxacin

§ Azithromycin and clarithromycin are not available for intravenous administration in the Netherlands