Most Appropriate Antibiotics Given

Why is this important?

Pneumonia is a lung infection that is usually caused by bacteria or a virus. In the case of bacterial pneumonia, the infection is most often treated with antibiotics. Hospitals should administer antibiotics that most effectively treat the infection type of each pneumonia patient. A blood culture is a test that reveals the type of bacteria that may have caused your pneumonia and which antibiotic should be used for treatment. It is best to conduct the blood culture within 24 hours of arrival at the hospital and before antibiotics are started.

Higher percentages are better.

Information About Pneumonia

Pneumonia is an inflammation of the lungs that makes breathing difficult. As the lungs fill with fluid, oxygen has increasing difficulty reaching the blood and a whole series of events may occur that can eventually result in death.

Pneumonia is caused by a viral or bacterial infection that fills the lungs with mucus and lowers the oxygen level in the blood.

Symptoms of pneumonia can include the following:

• Difficulty breathing
• “Wet” cough with green or bloody mucus
• Chest pain
• Fever and chills
• Fatigue

This data, based primarily on data collected by Baxter Regional Medical Center hospital from April 2007 through March 2008, was released publicly on December 18, 2008.