Comparative effectiveness of ertapenem versus other empirical antibiotics in elderly patients with complicated intra-abdominal infection: a real-world inverse probability of treatment weighting study

In this IPTW-adjusted real-world analysis of elderly adults with cIAI, ertapenem demonstrated clinical effectiveness comparable to meropenem, cefoperazone-sulbactam, and moxifloxacin. Given its once-daily dosing convenience and narrower ecological impact, ertapenem may represent a reasonable and stewardship-aligned empirical option for selected older patients. Prospective and multicenter studies incorporating microbiological and illness severity data are needed to validate these findings.