Nosocomial pneumonia is a common hospital-acquired infection and has a high mortality rate in the critically ill. Because drug-resistant bacteria like Pseudomonas aeruginosa and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are commonly responsible for these infections, guidelines recommend broad-spectrum empirical therapy that includes anti-MRSA coverage. Treatment is ideally de-escalated and refined based on culture results. However, culture negative infections leave a conundrum for clinicians who want to protect their patients but also minimize morbidity and inappropriate antimicrobial use.

Read More