Antimicrobial therapy of 3 days or less is sufficient after successful ERCP for acute cholangitis.

Background: Recommendations for the duration of antimicrobial therapy in cholangitis after successful endoscopic biliary drainage vary. The aim of this study was to compare the occurrence of local infectious complications in patients with acute cholangitis treated with antibiotics for 3 days or less compared with 4 days or more.

Methods: We performed a retrospective multicentre study in seven hospitals in the Netherlands.