Author/Editor		Rupnik, H; Repše, A
Title		Ocena izkustvenega antibiotičnega zdravljenja pri otrocih z doma pridobljeno pljučnico
Translated title		Evaluation of empirical antibiotic treatment of community-acquired pneumonia in children
Type		članek
Source		Med Razgl
Vol. and No.		Letnik 34, št. 4
Publication year		1995
Volume		str. 449-61
Language		slo
Abstract		As the etiology of community-acquired pneumonia is generally unknown at the beginning of treatment, the initial antimicrobial therapy is empirical. The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the efficacy of the selected empirical treatment, and determine the number of patients in whom the causative agent was identified. We reviewed medical records of children admitted to the Department of Infectious Diseases, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, for treatment of community-acquired pneumonia between January lst 1992 and December3lst 1993. The treatment was considered successful when the elevated body temperature had returned to normal within 48-72 hours of onset. On the 134 patients included in the study, 63 were treated with penicillin G (a 90% success rate) or V (a 92,6% success rate),19 with cefurox- ime (a 84,2 % success rate), and 22 with macrolides (a 90,9 % success rate). The remaining 30 patients were treated with other antibiotics. The pathogen were isolated from blood cultures in 8,1 % of patients (n=4/49), while in 2 out of 10 patients the causative agent was identified by serologic tests. In view of the high success rate of empirical treatment, we recommend the use of the proposed therapeutic scheme. Since the available techniques for establishing the etiology of community-acquired pneumonia are time-consuming and only rarely successful, the initial treatment of community-acquired pneumonia in children remains empirical.
Descriptors		PNEUMONIA COMMUNITY-ACQUIRED INFECTIONS DRUG EVALUATION CHILD ANTIBIOTICS