Original article
English
Mabrouk Bashir, Khalifa Mousbah
Faculty of Medicine, Al-Fateh University. Respiratory Department, Tripoli Medical Centre, Tripoli, Libya
JMJ Vol.8, No.1 (Spring) 2008:59-63
Abstract
The aim of this study is to emphasize that non-severe forms of CAP, can be treated effectively with monotherapy antibiotic base. Methods: A prospective study which included all patients admitted with CAP between Oct.2004 and Dec. 2006. Patients: A total of 190 adult patients, who all received ampicillin as empirical monotherapy antibiotic, which only changed with absence of initial response. Any associated pathology was noticed and treated, and radiological chest findings recorded. Results: 183 patients received ampicillin and completed their treatment until discharge, only seven patients did not respond initially and received other antibiotics. In this group, 108 patients had other associated comorbid conditions, the chest X-ray findings were remarked as homogenous localized opacity in 88 patients, and as infiltrative non – localized changes in the remaining 102 chest X-ray films, which were correlated with the presence of other associated pathology, and mainly seen in patients older than 50 years. Conclusion: From this study we conclude that, non-severe forms of CAP; can be managed effectively and empirically with monotherapy antibiotics. Associated comorbid illnesses to these forms of CAP do not interfere with the antibiotic efficacy if these comorbid pathologies are well controlled. As well the initial radiological chest signs cannot specify the underlying causative organism, and are unable to predict the treatment outcome.
Keywords: Empirical Treatment, Community Acquired Pneumonia, Comorbid conditions, Homogenous opacity, Infiltrative changes
Link/DOI: http://www.jmj.org.ly/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1454