Acute Pneumonia

Acute pneumonia continues to represent a major source of morbidity, mortality, and healthcare expenditure in the U.S. It is imperative that clinicians at all levels of training have a firm understanding of this potentially deadly infection and its numerous complications. The current state of our diagnostic capabilities often dictates that clinicians will need to make important therapeutic decisions in patients presenting with acute pneumonia before identifying a culprit pathogen. Only after understanding the pathogenesis of pneumonia under different clinical circumstances can one devise rational empiric therapeutic regimens. In this practical review we offer a succinct description of the epidemiology and pathogenesis of acute pneumonia. We then proceed to discuss the evaluation and management of patients presenting with acute pneumonia with emphasis on the most valuable clinical trials and major guidelines that we use to inform our clinical decisions. Despite significant advances in the field of infectious disease over the past century, clinicians continue to recognize pneumonia, the infection of the pulmonary parenchyma, as a major source of morbidity and mortality. In this articl