Management of Nosocomial Pneumonia
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
Spring 2018
Keywords
fsc2019
Abstract
Despite improved management and prevention strategies, nosocomial pneumonia remains a cause of morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients; it is a leading cause of death among patients with hospital-acquired infections and a common source of sepsis.1 Critical care clinicians must recognize that most cases of hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) occur outside of the intensive care unit (ICU), so risk factors and empiric antibiotic choices need to be considered carefully, especially as patients are being transitioned to the ICU. Furthermore, an episode of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) prolongs the need for mechanical ventilation, increases ICU and hospital lengths of stay, and costs almost $40 000.1–3
This article discusses current recommendations for the management of nosocomial pneumonia, based on the 2016 clinical practice guidelines developed by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the American Thoracic Society (ATS).1 Definitions and appropriate therapy are presented, as are major treatment changes from the original 2005 guidelines.4 These changes include the removal of the term health care–associated pneumonia (HCAP), the use of antibiograms, the avoidance of aminoglycoside monotherapy and use of adjunctive inhaled antibiotic therapy, and a recommended treatment duration of 7 days for most patients.
DOI
https://dx.doi.org/10.4037/aacnacc2018486
Publication Information
Connor, Kathryn A. (2018). "Management of Nosocomial Pneumonia." AACN Advanced Critical Care 29.1, 5-10.
Please note that the Publication Information provides general citation information and may not be appropriate for your discipline. To receive help in creating a citation based on your discipline, please visit http://libguides.sjfc.edu/citations.
Comments
This article is open access and is available through the publisher's webpage: https://dx.doi.org/10.4037/aacnacc2018486