Important: Therapy
Amoxicillin PO dosed as per BNF for Children
Or Clarithromycin PO dosed as per BNF for Children
Notes:
Clarithromycin should not be prescribed concurrently with ciclosporin, sirolimus and tacrolimus.
Community-acquired Pneumonia (CAP)
Duration
5 days
Important: Notes
Abnormal vital signs (fever >38°C, tachycardia >100 beats per minute and tachypnoea >20 breaths per minute) or an abnormal physical examination of the chest (crackles, decreased breath sounds, dullness to percussion) can predict radiographic changes of CAP (sensitivity of 95%, negative predictive value 92%).
Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common cause of severe CAP, and respiratory tract infections can be treated with amoxicillin even if intermediate susceptibility to penicillin is found on testing. Use of Co-Amoxiclav for CAP offers no additional benefit.