Saturday, February, 11, 2012

Hospital-acquired pneumonia

Table of Contents

Alternative Names

Nosocomial pneumonia; Ventilator-associated pneumonia; Health-care associated pneumonia


Symptoms
  • Cough that may produce mucus-like, greenish, or pus-like phlegm (sputum)
  • Chills
  • Easy fatigue
  • Excessive sweating (rare)
  • Fever
  • General discomfort, uneasiness, or ill feeling (malaise)
  • Headache
  • Joint stiffness and pain (rare)
  • Loss of appetite
  • Muscle stiffness (rare)
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Sharp or stabbing chest pain that gets worse with deep breathing or coughing
  • Shortness of breath

Signs and tests

A physical examination shows:

  • Crackles or decreased breath sounds when listening to the chest with a stethoscope
  • Decreased oxygen
  • Respiratory distress

Tests performed may include:

  • Arterial blood gases
  • Blood cultures
  • Chest x-ray or CT scan
  • Complete blood count (CBC)
  • Sputum culture
  • Sputum gram stain

Review Date: 02/19/2011
Reviewed By: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington, School of Medicine; and Denis Hadjiliadis, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care, Unviersity of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)