Staphyloccocus aureus bacteremia (SAB) is a common infectious disease condition in hospitalized patients which is associated with significant morbidity, excessive costs, and high mortality, despite effective antibiotic therapy. This pragmatic study is designed to test the hypothesis that outcomes in adults hospitalized with SAB will be improved by using combination antibiotic therapy (CAT) as early, targeted therapy in a high-risk subgroup. A group of patients identified early in their course as meeting at least one high-risk criterion who have no contraindications will be treated with one of two antibiotic strategies commonly used within usual care, namely: 1) antibiotic monotherapy or 2) combination antibiotic therapy, depending on the random assignment for each hospital, each month. Low-risk patients will be treated per usual care. Data from all patients admitted to participating hospitals with SAB will be included in the analysis.
