There are roughly two strategies for adjusting the intensity of treatment: Titrated strategy: Treatment intensity is adjusted to match the severity of the disease. Escalation-deescalation strategy: Treatment intensity is increased rapidly to exceed disease severity and gain control of the disease. After the patient improves, treatment intensity is reduced. The best strategy depends on the situation. A titrated strategy is good for an outpatient with cellulitis: start with cefazolin and broaden antibiotics later if necessary. Septic shock from cellulitis is best treated with escalation-deescalation: start with broad-spectrum antibiotics, then deescalate after the patient responds.

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