Towards evidence based emergency medicine: best BETs from the Manchester Royal Infirmary. BET 4. Timing of antibiotic administration in community-acquired pneumonia.

摘要

THREE-PART QUESTION In (adult patients presenting to the hospital with suspected community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) requiring admission), does (antibiotic administration within a specific time window) (reduce patient morbidity and mortality) ? CLINICAL SCENARIO A 70-year-old lady presents to the emergency department (ED) with 2 days of fever, shortness of breath, and cough productive of green sputum. Chest x-ray confirms right basal pneumonia. She requires oxygen therapy and admission. It is busy in the ED. This patient has been waiting for 3.5 h. Her bed is ready in the ward. You wonder if giving her the antibiotics now would affect her clinical outcome in terms of time to clinical stability, length of hospital stay, and mortality.