Pneumonia - Related Resources

Cochrane reviews

• Chest physiotherapy may not decrease mortality or increase cure rates as an adjunctive treatment for pneumonia in adults Chest Physiotherapy for Pneumonia in Adults.
• Empiric antibiotic coverage of atypical pathogens appears to show no advantage over a regimen without atypical antibiotic coverage for community acquired pneumonia Empiric Antibiotic Coverage of Atypical Pathogens for Community Acquired Pneumonia in Hospitalized Adults.
• Vitamin C supplementation may have preventive effects in populations with a high incidence of pneumonia and may have therapeutic effects in populations with low plasma vitamin C levels Vitamin C for Pneumonia.
• The routine use of G-CSF appears to be unuseful in the treatment of pneumonia Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor (G-CSF) as an Adjunct to Antibiotics for Pneumonia in Adults.
• Intrapleural fibrinolytic therapy may reduce the need for surgical interventions in adult patients with parapneumonic effusions or empyema Intra-Pleural Fibrinolytic Therapy in Parapneumonic Effusions and Empyema.

Other evidence summaries

• Early switch and early discharge strategies may significantly and safely reduce the mean length of stay in patients with community-acquired pneumonia Early Switch and Early Discharge Strategies in Patients with Community-Acquired Pneumonia.

Clinical guidelines

• British Thoracic Society - Community Acquired Pneumonia in AdultsGuideline Group. Guidelines for the management ofcommunity acquired pneumonia inadults: update 2009 http://www.brit-thoracic.org.uk/Portals/0/Clinical%20Information/Pneumonia/Guidelines/CAPGuideline-full.pdf
• Woodhead M, Blasi F, Ewig S, Huchon G, Ieven M, Ortqvist A, Schaberg T, Torres A, van der Heijden G, Verheij TJ, European Respiratory Society, European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Guidelines for the management of adult lower respiratory tract infections. Eur Respir J 2005 Dec;26(6):1138-80. http://erj.ersjournals.com/cgi/content/full/26/6/1138 [PubMed]
• Mandel LA, Wunderink RG, Anzueto A, Bartlett JG, Campbell GD, Dean NC, Dowell SF, File TJ, Musher DM, Niederman MS, Torres A, Whitney CG. Infectious Disease Society of America/American Thoracic Society consensus guidelines on the management of community-acquired pneumonia in adults. Clin Infect Dis 2007;44:27-72. http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdf/10.1086/511159

Literature