Revista chilena de infectología : órgano oficial de la Sociedad Chilena de Infectología
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Rev Chilena Infectol · Jan 2005
Review Practice Guideline[Severe community-acquired pneumonia in adults].
Patients with severe community acquired pneumonia (CAP) need continuous surveillance and monitoring at intensive care units (ICU), where they can receive specialized support as mechanical ventilation and/or hemodynamic support. Patients that require ICU admittance represent 10 to 30% of all patients interned because a pneumonia. In this category, high complication rate, prolonged hospital stay and high mortality rate are the rule. ⋯ This evaluation should be done in conjunction with an experienced physician, and if criteria for poor prognosis are met, an early admission to ICU is recommended. ATS and BTS modified criteria (CURB) are useful in this procedure. In severely ill patients with CAP it is recommended to perform the following microbiological analysis: sputum Gram stain and culture, blood culture, pleural fluid Gram stain and culture, if present and tapped, Legionella pneumophila urine antigen test, influenza A and B antigen detection tests (epidemic period: autumn and winter), and serology for atypical bacteria (Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydia pneumoniae).
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Rev Chilena Infectol · Jan 2005
Review[Clinical and radiological diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia in adults].
Community acquired pneumonia in adults is an acute disease characterized by worsening in general conditions, fever, chills, cough, mucopurulent sputum and dyspnea; associated with tachycardia, tachypnea, fever and focal signs in pulmonary examination. The probability of pneumonia in a patient with acute respiratory symptoms depends on the disease prevalence in the environment where it is acquired and on clinical features. It is estimated that pneumonia prevalence is 3-5% in patients with respiratory disease seen in outpatient facilities. ⋯ Clinical findings and chest X ray do not permit to predict with certainty the etiology of pulmonary infection. Radiology is useful to confirm clinical suspicion, it establishes pneumonia location, its extension and severity; furthermore, it allows differentiation between pneumonia and other diseases, to detect possible complications, and may be useful in follow up of high risk patients. The resolution of radiological infiltrates often ensues several weeks or months after clinical recovery, especially in the elderly and in multilobar pneumonia cared for in intensive care units.