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Controversies in the Management of Community-Acquired Pneumonia

  • Infectious Disease (H. Nguyen, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Emergency and Hospital Medicine Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

Community-acquired pneumonia remains a common and serious infection, contributing to significant morbidity and mortality. Despite a more standardized approach towards management of this disease, several key uncertainties still remain. In this narrative review we examine the latest evidence to investigate what we identified as three of the most clinically relevant controversies.

Recent Findings

Novel tests including procalcitonin and molecular assays for respiratory viruses may facilitate earlier diagnosis, but their routine use and clinical utility are unclear. In addition, determining an optimal empiric antibiotic regimen continues to be a challenge. Lastly, systemic corticosteroids have been theorized as possible adjuncts to standard treatment, but their risks and benefits need to be more fully explored.

Summary

Recent evidence lends some support to the use of newer diagnostic assays and corticosteroids in the management of community-acquired pneumonia. Additionally, empiric antibiotic selection should be guided by a combination of expert guideline adherence, local epidemiologic trends, and clinical judgement.

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  1. Division of Internal Medicine, Department of Veteran Affairs, VA Northern California Health Care System, Mather, CA, USA

    Kanal Singh & Rajasekar Jagadeesan

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  1. Kanal Singh
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  2. Rajasekar Jagadeesan
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Correspondence to Kanal Singh.

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Singh, K., Jagadeesan, R. Controversies in the Management of Community-Acquired Pneumonia. Curr Emerg Hosp Med Rep 4, 126–135 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40138-016-0107-0

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