Loading...
Researchers prospectively evaluated a new treatment algorithm for healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP) in 445 patients with radiographically proven pneumonia who were admitted to six Japanese hospitals between 2009 and 2011. Of these, 124 had community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and 321 had HCAP.
The algorithm based treatment for HCAP on the presence of risk factors for multidrug-resistant pathogens, which included illness severity (intensive-care unit admission), immunosuppression, hospitalization within 90 days, poor functional status, and antibiotics within 6 months. Patients classified as low-risk (0 or 1 risk factor) were treated with CAP therapy: a quinolone or macrolide and β-lactam antibiotic. High-risk patients (≥2 risk factors) wer…