Community-Acquired Pneumonia

A North American Perspective

¹ From the Pulmonary and Critical Care Division, Winthrop-University Hospital, Mineola, NY.

The North American guidelines for pneumonia generally show agreement in both the Canadian and American approaches. However, much new data have appeared since the original recommendations, and revisions are needed. The general approach to empiric therapy that has been proposed in both the Canadian and American Thoracic Society documents does appear to be valid, and future recommendations will probably use the original approach as a framework for a more refined approach.