Penicillin as empirical therapy for patients hospitalised with community acquired pneumonia at a Danish hospital

Introduction:. We report on the outcome of a study of patients hospitalised with community acquired pneumonia (HCAP) at a Danish university hospital. Methodology: In a retrospective study of 243 consecutive patients with radi ographically verified HCAP, data on clinical and laboratory findings and ou tcome parameters were collected. Three groups were established according to the initial choice of antibiotic(s): penicillin only (n=160); non-allergic patients starting broader spectrum therapy (n=54); and patients with suspe cted penicillin allergy (n=29). Results: The overall mortality within three months was 12% and the read-mis sion rate within three months was 20%. The three treatment groups were comp arable with respect to most demographic and clinical criteria at baseline. No significant differences in outcome between the groups were found: the mo rtality was 12.5%, 13.0%, and 10.3%, respectively, p=0.95, and the readmiss ion rate 20.3%, 24.0%, and 14.8%, respectively; p=0.63. Conclusion: Patients treated for community-acquired pneumonia at a Danish u niversity hospital had clinical outcomes fully at height with findings from other countries, and half of the patients were successfully treated with p enicillin monotherapy. No differences in clinical outcomes were documented between patients treated empirically with broad-spectrum therapy and penici llin monotherapy. Therefore, penicillin seems to be a reasonable first choi ce for initial therapy of HCAP in Denmark as in other regions with similar patterns of microbial pathogens and resistance.