title: Impact of the implementation of a therapeutic guideline on the treatment of nosocomial pneumonia acquired in the intensive care unit of a university hospital.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the impact that the implementation of therapeutic guidelines has on the empirical treatment of nosocomial pneumonia.
  
  
  METHODS
  A clinical trial, using historical controls and involving current ICU patients who had acquired nosocomial pneumonia, was carried out from June of 2002 to June of 2003. All were treated according to therapeutic guidelines developed by the Commission for Nosocomial Infection Control of the institution (group with intervention). As controls, the medical charts of the patients who acquired nosocomial pneumonia between June of 2000 and June of 2001 (group without intervention) were analyzed. Mortality and mean treatment period, as well as the length of hospital and ICU stays, were determined for the patients who acquired nosocomial pneumonia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mortality associated with pneumonia was lower in the group treated according to the therapeutic guidelines (26 vs. 53.6%; p = 0.00). As for overall mortality, there was no statistically significant difference between the two periods (51 vs. 57.9%; p = 0.37). There was also no difference in the type of microorganisms isolated, treatment period, length of hospital stay or length of ICU stay.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The implementation of therapeutic guidelines for the treatment of nosocomial pneumonia acquired in the ICU can be efficacious in decreasing mortality rates.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Londrina, PR, Brasil. any@sercomtel.com.br <any@sercomtel.com.br>
authors.forename: Joseani Coelho Pascual
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.forename: Olavo Franco
authors.initials: OF
authors.lastname: Ferreira Filho
authors.forename: Cíntia Magalhães Carvalho
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Grion
authors.forename: Claudia Maria Dantas de Maio
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Carrilho
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy*; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018410:Pneumonia, Bacterial / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents