Pneumonia medical therapy
|
Pneumonia Microchapters |
|
Diagnosis |
|---|
|
Treatment |
|
Case Studies |
|
Pneumonia medical therapy On the Web |
|
American Roentgen Ray Society Images of Pneumonia medical therapy |
|
Risk calculators and risk factors for Pneumonia medical therapy |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
The treatment of pneumonia involves three critical decisions: firstly whether the patient truly has pneumonia, secondly what is the severity of the pneumonia, and lastly whether hospitalization is required for adequate management. Most cases of pneumonia can be treated without hospitalization. Typically, oral antibiotics, rest, fluids, and home care are sufficient for complete resolution. However, people with pneumonia who are having trouble breathing, comorbidities, and the elderly may need more advanced treatment. If the symptoms get worse, the pneumonia does not improve with home treatment, or complications occur, the person will often have to be hospitalized.
Medical Therapy
General considerations
- The treatment of pneumonia involves three critical decisions: firstly whether the patient truly has pneumonia, secondly what is the severity of the pneumonia, and lastly whether hospitalization is required for adequate management.
- Antibiotics are used to treat bacterial pneumonia. In contrast, antibiotics are not useful for viral pneumonia, although they sometimes are used to treat or prevent bacterial infections that can occur in lungs damaged by a viral pneumonia. The antibiotic choice depends on:
- Nature of the pneumonia,
- Microorganisms endemic to a local geographic area
- Immune status and
- Underlying health of the individual.
- Treatment for pneumonia should ideally be based on the causative microorganism and its known antibiotic sensitivity. However, a specific cause for pneumonia is identified in only 50% of people, even after extensive evaluation.
- Since, treatment should generally not be delayed in any person with a serious pneumonia,empiric treatment is usually started well before laboratory reports are available.
- Multiple antibiotics may be administered in combination in an attempt to treat all of the possible causative microorganisms. Antibiotic choices vary from hospital to hospital because of regional differences in the most likely microorganisms, and because of differences in the microorganisms' abilities to resist various antibiotic treatments.
- Treatment of viral pneumonia caused by influenza are beneficial only if they are started within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms.
- Many strains of H5N1 influenza A, also known as avian influenza or "bird flu," have shown resistance to rimantadine and amantadine.
- There are no known effective treatments for viral pneumonias caused by the SARS coronavirus, adenovirus, hantavirus, or parainfluenza virus.
- In both cases, a person's risk factors for different organisms must be remembered when choosing the initial antibiotics (called empiric therapy).
- In general, all therapies in older children and adults will include treatment for atypical bacteria. Typically this is a macrolide antibiotic such as azithromycin or clarithromycin although a fluoroquinolone such as levofloxacin can substitute.
The decision to hospitalize
- Some people with CAP require hospitalization and more intensive care than the majority. Clinical prediction rules, such as the pneumonia severity index and CURB-65 have been developed to help guide the decision[2]. Factors which increase the need for hospitalization include:
- Age > 65 yrs, in most cases, men over 70 and women over 80 should be managed as inpatients when diagnosed with CAP
- Confusion
- Underlying chronic illnesses;
- Evidence of infection outside the lung.
- Vitals:
- Respiratory rate > 30 breaths/minute;
- SBP < 90 mmHg;
- Heart rate > 125/min;
- Temperature < 35 or >40°C;
- Laboratory results which increase the need for hospitalization include:
- Arterial oxygen tension < 60 mm Hg,
- Carbon dioxide > 50 mmHg,
- pH < 7.35 on room air;
- Hematocrit < 30%;
- Creatinine > 1.2 mg/dl or
- Blood urea nitrogen > 20 mg/ dl;
- White blood cell count < 4 × 10^9/L or > 30 × 10^9/L; and
- Absolute neutrophil count < 1 x 10^9/L.
- X-ray findings which increase the need for hospitalization include involvement of more than one lobe of the lung, presence of a cavity, and the presence of a pleural effusion.
Newborn infants
Most newborn infants with CAP are hospitalized and given intravenous ampicillin and gentamicin for at least ten days. This treats the common bacteria Streptococcus agalactiae, Listeria monocytogenes, and Escherichia coli. If herpes simplex virus is the cause, intravenous acyclovir is administered for 21 days.
Children
Treatment of CAP in children depends on both the age of the child and the severity of his/her illness. Children less than five do not typically receive treatment to cover atypical bacteria. If a child does not need to be hospitalized, amoxicillin for seven days is a common treatment. However, with increasing prevalence of DRSP, other agents such as cefpodoxime will most likely become more popular in the future.[3] Hospitalized children should receive intravenous ampicillin, ceftriaxone, or cefotaxime.
Treatment
In cases of viral pneumonia where influenza A or B are thought to be causative agents, patients who are seen within 48 hours of symptom onset may benefit from treatment with oseltamivir or zanamivir. Respiratory syncytial virus|RSV may be treated with ribavirin. Herpes simplex virus and varicella-zoster virus infections are usually treated with aciclovir, whilst ganciclovir is used to treat cytomegalovirus. There is no known efficacious treatment for pneumonia caused by SARS coronavirus, adenovirus, hantavirus, or parainfluenza virus; treatment is largely supportive.
Infectious Diseases Society of America/American Thoracic Society consensus recommendation on pandemic Influenza community-acquired pneumonia in adults. [1] (DONOT EDIT)
{{cquote|
Previously healthy and no risk factors for drug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae infection
- A macrolide (azithromycin, clarithromycin, or [[erythromycin) (Strong recommendation; level I evidence)
- Doxycycline (Weak recommendation; level III evidence)
Presence of comorbidities or other risks for drug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae infection:
Presence of comorbidities, such as chronic heart, lung, liver, or renal disease; diabetes mellitus; alcoholism; malignancies; asplenia; immunosuppressing conditions or use of immunosuppressing drugs; use of antimicrobials within the previous 3 months (in which case an alternative from a different class should be selected); or other risks for DRSP infection:
- A respiratory fluoroquinolone (moxifloxacin, gemifloxacin, or levofloxacin [750 mg]) (Strong recommendation; level I evidence)
- A beta-lactam plus a macrolide (Strong recommendation; level I evidence) (High-dose amoxicillin [e.g., 1 g 3 times daily] or amoxicillin-clavulanate [2 g 2 times daily] is preferred; alternatives include ceftriaxone, cefpodoxime, and cefuroxime [500 mg 2 times daily]; doxycycline (level II evidence) is an alternative to the macrolide.)
In regions with a high rate (>25%) of infection
In regions with a high rate (>25%) of infection with high-level (minimal inhibitory concentration [MIC], >16 micrograms/mL) macrolide-resistant S. pneumoniae, consider the use of alternative agents for any patient, including those without comorbidities. (Moderate recommendation; level III evidence)
Inpatient, Non-ICU Treatment
The following regimens are recommended for hospital ward treatment.
- A respiratory fluoroquinolone (Strong recommendation; level I evidence)
- A beta-lactam plus a macrolide (Strong recommendation; level I evidence) (Preferred beta-lactam agents include cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, and ampicillin; ertapenem for selected patients; with doxycycline (level III evidence) as an alternative to the macrolide. A respiratory fluoroquinolone should be used for penicillin-allergic patients.)
Inpatient, ICU Treatment
The following regimen is the minimal recommended treatment for patients admitted to the ICU.
- A beta-lactam (cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, or ampicillin-sulbactam) plus either azithromycin (level II evidence) or a fluoroquinolone (Strong recommendation; level I evidence) (For penicillin-allergic patients, a respiratory fluoroquinolone and aztreonam are recommended.)
- For Pseudomonas infection, use an antipneumococcal, antipseudomonal beta-lactam (piperacillin-tazobactam, cefepime, imipenem, or meropenem) plus either ciprofloxacin or levofloxacin (750-mg dose)
or the above beta-lactam plus an aminoglycoside and azithromycin or the above beta-lactam plus an aminoglycoside and an antipneumococcal fluoroquinolone (for penicillin-allergic patients, substitute aztreonam for the above beta-lactam). (Moderate recommendation; level III evidence)
- For community-acquired methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) infection, add vancomycin or linezolid. (Moderate recommendation; level III evidence)
}}
Infectious Diseases Society of America/American Thoracic Society consensus recommendation on pandemic Influenza community-acquired pneumonia in adults. [1] (DO NOT EDIT)
| “ |
Pathogen-directed Therapy
Pandemic Influenza
|
” |
Infectious Diseases Society of America/American Thoracic Society consensus recommendation on pandemic Influenza community-acquired pneumonia in adults. [1] (DONOT EDIT)
| “ |
Time to First Antibiotic Dose
Switch from Intravenous to Oral Therapy
Duration of Antibiotic Therapy
|
” |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Mandell LA, Wunderink RG, Anzueto A, Bartlett JG, Campbell GD, Dean NC, Dowell SF, File TM, Musher DM, Niederman MS, Torres A, Whitney CG (2007). "Infectious Diseases Society of America/American Thoracic Society consensus guidelines on the management of community-acquired pneumonia in adults". Clinical Infectious Diseases : an Official Publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. 44 Suppl 2: S27–72. doi:10.1086/511159. PMID 17278083. Retrieved 2012-09-06. Unknown parameter
|month=ignored (help)