The responsible use of antibiotics is the focus of this year’s annual meeting of the German Society for Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery (DGHNO-KHC), which will take place in Ulm from 13 to 16 May 2026. Prof. Dr. med. Bernhard Olzowy, an expert in otolaryngology, emphasizes the great importance of current guidelines for safe and sustainable antibiotic therapy.

Around 85 percent of all antibiotics are used in outpatient care, about half of them for typical ENT infections such as acute tonsillopharyngitis, acute rhinosinusitis or acute otitis media. “Precise diagnostics are the basis for a rational therapy decision,” explains Olzowy. Instruments such as nasal endoscopy or the ear microscope enable a much more accurate assessment of inflammatory processes than purely symptom-oriented approaches and help to avoid unnecessary antibiotic administration.

In 2025, two important guidelines were updated: the S3 guideline on perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis and the S2k guideline on antibiotic therapy for ENT infections. Both emphasise that antibiotics should be used as narrowly effective as possible – and not longer than absolutely necessary. This not only protects the general public from the development of resistance, but also the individual patient from avoidable side effects.

The annual meeting takes up the topic in a targeted manner: The ENT Academy offers a three-hour advanced training course for clinically active doctors. In addition, the special meeting of the Working Group on Infectious Diseases will be dedicated to current developments, including the increased occurrence of complicated bacterial infections after the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in antibiotic resistance.

Original publication:

https://register.awmf.org/de/leitlinien/detail/017-066 – S2k Guideline Antibiotic Therapy for ENT Infections

https://register.awmf.org/de/leitlinien/detail/067-009 – S3 Guideline Perioperative and Periinterventional Antibiotic Prophylaxis

Editor: X-Press Journalistenbüro GbR

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