Treatment of nursing home-acquired pneumonia.

Pneumonia is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in nursing home residents, with 30-day mortality rates ranging from 10 to 30 percent. Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common cause of nursing home-acquired pneumonia, although Staphylococcus aureus and gram-negative organisms may be more common in severe cases. Antibiotic therapy for nursing home-acquired pneumonia should target a broad range of organisms, and drug-resistant microbes should be considered when making treatment decisions. In the nursing home setting, treatment should consist of an antipneumococcal fluoroquinolone alone or either a high-dose beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor or a second- or third-generation cephalosporin, in combination with azithromycin. Treatment of hospitalized patients with nursing home-acquired pneumonia requires broad-spectrum antibiotics with coverage of many gram-negative and gram-positive organisms, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus. Appropriate dosing of antibiotics for nursing home-acquired pneumonia is important to optimize effectiveness and avoid adverse effects. Because many nursing home residents take multiple medications, it is important to consider possible drug interactions.