Loading...
A widely adopted quality-assurance measure calls for hospitals to administer antibiotics to pneumonia patients within 4 hours of arrival. Mortality statistics derived from older pneumonia patients (age, ≥65) support this mandate, but some clinicians believe that it oversimplifies treatment decisions.
Researchers prospectively reviewed treatment outcomes in 451 patients with community-acquired pneumonia who were admitted to a single Tennessee hospital during a 30-month period. Mean age was 58; immunocompromised patients and nonambulatory nursing home residents were excluded. About 50% of patients received antibiotics within 4 hours. Eight percent of patients died. Longer time to antibiotic administration correlated with higher risk for mortal…