lung and airway disorders
Hospital Acquired Pneumonia
Introduction
Hospital-acquired pneumoniais lung infection that develops in people who have been hospitalized, typically after about 2 days or more of hospitalization. Many bacteria, viruses, and even fungi can cause pneumonia in people who are hospitalized. The most common symptom is a cough that produces sputum, but chest pain, chills, fever, and shortness of breath are also common. Diagnosis is based on a person’s symptoms and the results of x-rays or a computed tomography (CT) scan of the chest. Antibiotics, antiviral drugs, or antifungal drugs are used, depending on which organism has most likely caused the pneumonia. Pneumonia acquired in the hospital is usually more severe than Community-Acquired Pneumonia because the infecting organisms tend to be more aggressive. They are also less likely to respond to antibiotics (called resistance) and are, therefore, harder to treat. Additionally, people in hospitals tend to be sicker even without pneumonia than those living in the community and therefore are not as able to fight the infection. (See also Overview of Pneumonia .) 