Nosocomnial pneumonia

Abstract

Nosocomnial (hospital) pneumonias (hospital-acquired pneumonia - HAP) are defined as pneumonias in hospitalized patients that occur within 48 hours after admission to the hospital or later. These types of lung parenchymal infections are caused by pathogens that are present in the hospital environment. The incubation period is no longer than two days. Nosocomial pneumonias are the second most common of all hospital infections and the highest prevalence is recorded in intensive care units (ICU) (internal medicine and surgery). They represent a great burden on the health system everywhere in the world, because it is estimated that as many as 25% of infections in the ICU are hospital-acquired, and that 50% of all antibiotics are used precisely for their treatment. Recognizing the causative agent can be challenging, primarily due to the difficulty of adequate sputum sampling, but also due to the lack of understanding of the epidemiological situation in a particular health facility.