Community-Acquired Pneumonia and Parapneumonic Effusion - Duration of Antibiotic Therapy for Child

Patient selection: infant > 3 months of age or child with CAP and a parapneumonic effusion or empyema

Therapy involves parenteral antibiotics. The selection of parenteral antibiotics should be based on susceptibility testing of isolates from blood or pleural fluid, if available. If blood and pleural fluid are sterile then therapy is based on susceptibility of respiratory tract isolates if available.

Duration of therapy varies and may be:

(1) fixed duration (2 to 4 weeks)

(2) 10-14 days after resolution of fever

Factors affecting therapy:

(1) adequacy of the drainage procedure

(2) persistence of clinical signs and symptoms

(3) problematic isolates such as MRSA