Comparative Efficacy of Intravenous Augmentin and Ceftriaxone in the Treatment of Community-Acquired Lobar Pneumonia in Children (5-15 Years)

Abstract

Community-acquired lobar pneumonia in children is one of the most common causes of morbidity and hospital admission, and continues to impose an increasing health and economic burden. Global data show that lobar pneumonia remains a leading cause of child mortality. This comparative clinical study, conducted at Idlib University Hospital between 2025 and 2026, aimed to compare the therapeutic clinical response to empirical intravenous treatment with amoxicillin/clavulanate (Augmentin) versus ceftriaxone in 100 children aged (5–15 years) suffering from community-acquired lobar pneumonia, with an equal division into two groups (50/50). Therapeutic response was defined as a clear clinical improvement with the resolution of fever within 72 hours. Results showed a statistical superiority for the ceftriaxone group with a 90% recovery rate compared to 74% for Augmentin (chi-square≈4.34, p≈0.037), which indicates that ceftriaxone was associated with a 16% higher early clinical response rate within among hospitalized children in this age group.