The objective of this review is to summarize the most recent evidence concerning antibiotic and corticosteroid therapy, with a focused evaluation on the contribution of antibiotic type and corticosteroid dosage on patient outcomes.

Recent findings: Macrolides should be considered the antibiotic of choice for prevention of AECOPD in patients who qualify for therapy. Macrolides, fluoroquinolones, and beta-lactams are all reasonable treatment options for severe AECOPD and the decision to use one over the other should be based upon patient characteristics and institutional or regional antimicrobial susceptibility patterns. The best available evidence now suggests that higher-dose corticosteroids are not superior to treatment with lower-dose corticosteroids in patients with severe AECOPD. Addit...