[Antibiotic Stewardship in Nosocomial Pneumonia]

Pneumonia is one of the most important nosocomially acquired infections in Germany. Rational management strategies contribute to optimizing treatment and minimizing the development of resistance. The calculated antimicrobial therapy should take into account the severity, the risk of multi-resistant pathogens and P. aeruginosa as well as the local resistance situation. The infection occurs more frequently in non-ventilated patients, yet the evidence for ventilator-associated pneumonia is better, mainly due to easier microbiological diagnostics. The spectrum of pathogens does not differ significantly between the two disease entities. E. coli, K. pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa and, in the gram-positive spectrum, S. aureus and S. pneumoniae are the most common pathogens detected. Early detection, particularly in sepsis, followed by targeted diagnostic measures are relevant managing the disease. Calculated antibiotic therapy taking into account the severity of the disease and the patient's individual risk of multi-resistant pathogens, should be administered promptly. A re-evaluation of the diagnosis and therapy after 48-72 hours is crucial for the success of treatment and the rational use of antibiotics. All findings obtained to confirm the diagnosis and assess the course of the disease should be reviewed with regard to the accuracy of the diagnosis, the therapeutic response and the possibility of optimizing antibiotic therapy. If there is a response to treatment, which is primarily expressed in a clinical improvement, the recommended treatment duration of 7 days should not be exceeded. If there is no improvement in symptoms, microbiological findings, complications and differential diagnoses should be checked. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic principles should be considered with regard to the substances and the duration of application and dosage.