Potential antibiotic resistant pathogens in community-acquired pneumonia: playing it safe is anything but

Since the introduction of the concept of healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP) in the 2005 update on the treatment of nosocomial pneumonias by the American Thoracic Society and the Infectious Diseases Society of America [1], there has been considerable controversy over whether this new category has been helpful or harmful. The core of the problem is the tension between clinicians perceiving that missing a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or Pseudomonas aeruginosa may have dire consequences for their patient and the goals of antibiotic stewardship in reducing the use of too broad spectrum antibiotics driving patient-specific side effects like renal toxicity, Clostridium difficile or vancomycin-resistant enterocoli [2] infection, and the more generalised harm through the promotion of antibiotic-resistant bacteria within the hospital environment.
Source: European Respiratory Journal - Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Tags: Editorials Source Type: research