Using Guidelines for Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia to Predict Antibiotic Resistance?

In one hospital, the guidelines performed significantly better for patients with risk factors for potentially antibiotic-resistant microorganisms than for patients with no such risk factors.

In 2005, the American Thoracic Society and the Infectious Diseases Society of America jointly published guidelines for managing hospital-associated pneumonia (HAP). Unlike the previous document (published in 1996), these guidelines divide patients into two groups based on time of HAP onset (≤4 days vs. >4 days after hospital admission) and likelihood of infection with potentially drug-resistant microorganisms (PRMs); empirical antibiotic treatment is recommended accordingly. These guidelines have never been validated in clinical practice.

To attempt such validation, researchers conducted a prospective study among adults with HAP in six intensive care units of a large hospital in Spain. Among the 276 participants, 38 were classified as group …

Reviewing Author

Neil M. Ampel, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)

Neil M. Ampel, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)

Using Guidelines for Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia to Predict Antibiotic Resistance?

Topics

Reviewing Author