Aspiration pneumonia

Micro Organisms

Mouth flora including anaerobes

Duration

7 days

Notes

Important: Therapy

  • Collect sputum (AND blood cultures in pneumonia)
  • For patients with pneumonia, send urine for legionella antigen and a viral throat swab.
  • Consider diagnosis of influenza and isolate patient according to Patient Placement Tool [intranet link only]
  • Always consider prior therapy; patients who have not responded to a recent course of antibiotics should receive an alternative agent

Oral therapy must be considered the norm except in SEVERE pneumonia or in patients unable to take oral therapy

Consider chemical pneumonitis as a differential diagnosis – antibiotics would not be indicated

Aspiration pneumonia

Important: Therapy

If oral appropriate:

Amoxicillin 1g 8 hourly

+ Metronidazole 400mg 8 hourly

 

If IV required:

IV Amoxicillin 1g 8 hourly

+ IV Metronidazole 500mg 8 hourly

Aspiration pneumonia - Penicillin Allergy

Important: Therapy

If oral appropriate:

Clarithromycin 500mg 12 hourly

+ Metronidazole 400mg 8 hourly

 

If IV required

IV Clarithromycin 500mg 12 hourly

+ IV Metronidazole 500mg 8 hourly