title: Initial therapy in pneumonia. Clinical, radiographic, and laboratory data important for the choice.
abstract: Noninvasive identification of the etiologic agents in pneumonia is difficult; it is, therefore, necessary to consider clinical, laboratory, and radiographic data in the choice of the optimal antibiotic treatment in an individual patient. Clinical signs and symptoms, as well as radiographic infiltrations, are of considerable value in community-acquired pneumococcal and aspiration pneumonia. In hospital-acquired pneumonia, the situation is more complex; laboratory evaluations can support the definition of the specific immunologic dysfunction of an individual patient and also contribute to optimal therapeutic drug monitoring; aggressive endoscopic procedures can lead to a final diagnosis.
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D009503:Neutropenia / Q000150:complications; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D011015:Pneumonia, Aspiration / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D011859:Radiography
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents