RT Book, Section
A1 Prakash, Bala
A1 Niederman, Michael S.
A2 Grippi, Michael A.
A2 Elias, Jack A.
A2 Fishman, Jay A.
A2 Kotloff, Robert M.
A2 Pack, Allan I.
A2 Senior, Robert M.
A2 Siegel, Mark D.
SR Print(0)
ID 1122368926
T1 Principles of Antibiotic Use and the Selection of Empiric Therapy for Pneumonia
T2 Fishman's Pulmonary Diseases and Disorders, 5e
YR 2015
FD 2015
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 978-0-07-179672-9
LK accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1122368926
RD 2023/03/29
AB Antibiotics  are  the  foundation  of  therapy  for  respiratory  tract  infections.  This  approach  varies  with  the  type  of  pneumonia,  age  of  the  affected  patient,  presence  of  various  comorbid  illnesses  and  risk  factors  for  infection  by  specific  pathogens,  and  the  severity  of  the  acute  illness.  For  most  of  the  patients,  initial  therapy  is  empiric,  aimed  at  a  broad  spectrum  of  potential  pathogens  (see  Chapter  122).  Once  culture  data  become  available,  therapy  can  be  pathogen-specific  making  it  possible  to  de-escalate  to  fewer  drugs  with  a  narrower  antimicrobial  spectrum.1,2  In  some  cases,  initial  empiric  therapy  must  be  continued  because  no  etiologic  pathogen  is  identified  (see  Chapter  123).