JAMA internal medicine
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JAMA internal medicine · Feb 2020
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyAcyclovir for Mechanically Ventilated Patients With Herpes Simplex Virus Oropharyngeal Reactivation: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
The role of herpes simplex virus (HSV) reactivation on morbidity and mortality in patients in the intensive care unit requiring mechanical ventilation remains unknown. ⋯ In patients receiving mechanical ventilation for 96 hours or more with HSV reactivation in the throat, use of acyclovir, 5 mg/kg, 3 times daily for 14 days, did not increase the number of ventilator-free days at day 60, compared with placebo. These findings do not appear to support routine preemptive use of acyclovir in this setting.