COMMUNITY-ACQUIRED PNEUMONIA - TAILORING MANAGEMENT OF ADULT PATIENTSACCORDING TO RISK CATEGORY

A cost-conscious evaluation of CAP in the adult patient requires an in itial assessment of the clinical severity and the risks of complicated pneumonia. Initially, most patients should have chest radiography; so me authorities also recommend sputum Gram staining and culture, but ad ditional blood testing, culture, and diagnostic procedures are indicat ed only for patients who have chronically impaired health or clinical evidence of severe infection. Initial empirical antibiotic therapy var ies depending on the setting (outpatient, hospitalized patient, critic ally ill patient). Failure of the patient to respond to empirical anti biotic therapy within 72 hours should direct the clinician to consider unusual or resistant organisms or noninfectious causes of pneumonitis .