HOSPITAL-ACQUIRED PNEUMONIA - EPIDEMIOLOGY, ETIOLOGY, AND TREATMENT

Despite improvements in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention, hospital -acquired pneumonia (HAP) remains the number one cause of nosocomial m ortality. This article reviews the current knowledge regarding the inc idence, epidemiology, and causes of HAP, with the appreciation that th e available information is incomplete and that controversies are commo n, and thus the authors provide a rational approach to the initial man agement of HAP in immunocompetent adults. A discussion of therapy and what to do with patients who do not respond to the empiric therapy are included. The American Thoracic Society (ATS) statement on HAP has se rved as a foundation for this review but has been supplemented by newe r Literature that was not available when the ATS statement was develop ed.