Pulmonary Infections

Abstract

Pneumonia can be classified as: community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP), ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP), and pneumonia in immunosuppressed patients. Although the above are similar pathologically, they are very different from a clinical perspective. Chest radiography is often performed to support the diagnosis and to determine the extent of involvement prior to the onset of therapy. Radiography should not be performed in the short term in patients who are improving clinically as it can lead to the misdiagnosis of treatment failure. Chest radiography in patients treated for pneumonia should only be obtained before 4-6 weeks after the onset of therapy if there is a failure of clinical response or if complications of pneumonia are clinically suspected. The majority of pneumonias will resolve after 6 weeks of appropriate antibiotic therapy.