🌡️ Community-Acquired Pneumonia Triage & Empiric Antimicrobials
UseUse to choose the care setting and empiric regimen, escalating to the ICU when a major criterion or ≥ 3 minor…
SourceMetlay JP, et al. Diagnosis and Treatment of Adults with Community-acquired Pneumonia. Am J Respir …
This-shift next steps
After scoring: open the scene pack, peer scores, and the matching pathway. Local reference — no HIS write.
Paste the link in Slack, Teams, X, or LinkedIn — the preview image comes from this page’s Open Graph card.
Methodology · worked example, guidelines & full notes
(original synthesis · not guideline verbatim)
When to use
Use to choose the care setting and empiric regimen, escalating to the ICU when a major criterion or ≥ 3 minor criteria define severe CAP.
How it works
Severe CAP = 1 major (mechanical-ventilation respiratory failure or vasopressor septic shock) or ≥ 3 minor criteria → ICU. Otherwise CURB-65 0–1 outpatient, 2 admit/observe, ≥ 3 admit; empiric antimicrobials stratified by setting.
Key points
- (original synthesis · not guideline verbatim)
- MRSA or Pseudomonas risk factors prompt added coverage and cultures.
- PSI is the preferred severity tool, with CURB-65 as a simpler alternative.
References
Worked calculation
The values below come from this tool's own example placeholders and are computed server-side with the formula shown on this page, so the arithmetic can be checked quickly. It demonstrates how to substitute values only — it is not clinical advice and not a real case.
| CURB-65 score (0–5) | 1 |
|---|---|
| Major criteria (respiratory failure needing mechanical ventilation or septic shock needing vasopressors) | Any present |
| Number of minor criteria met (of 9) | 1 |
| Comorbidities/risk factors (chronic disease, recent antibiotics, etc.) | Present |
→TriageAdmit to ICU (severe CAP)
- Severity：Severe CAP (≥ 1 major or ≥ 3 minor criteria)
- Empiric antimicrobials：IV β-lactam + macrolide, or β-lactam + respiratory fluoroquinolone
- Coverage note：With MRSA or Pseudomonas aeruginosa risk factors (recent hospitalization/IV antibiotics, prior colonization, structural lung disease, etc.) add the corresponding coverage and send cultures
| CURB-65 score (0–5) | 1 |
|---|---|
| Major criteria (respiratory failure needing mechanical ventilation or septic shock needing vasopressors) | None |
| Number of minor criteria met (of 9) | 1 |
| Comorbidities/risk factors (chronic disease, recent antibiotics, etc.) | Absent |
→TriageOutpatient treatment feasible
- Severity：CURB-65 1 points
- Empiric antimicrobials：No comorbidities: amoxicillin or doxycycline (a macrolide where local macrolide resistance is low)
- Coverage note：With MRSA or Pseudomonas aeruginosa risk factors (recent hospitalization/IV antibiotics, prior colonization, structural lung disease, etc.) add the corresponding coverage and send cultures
Verification & sources · governance
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
- What are the limits and cautions when using Community-Acquired Pneumonia Triage & Empiric Antimicrobials?
- For licensed clinicians and clinical researchers. Interpret results with history, investigations and local protocols; not a diagnosis or prescription, and not a substitute for multidisciplinary decision-making or local guidelines.
- Does Community-Acquired Pneumonia Triage & Empiric Antimicrobials upload patient data? Where is it calculated?
- Calculation runs locally in the browser; inputs and results are not uploaded. For licensed clinicians only; interpret with history, investigations and local protocols — not a diagnosis or prescription.
- How is Community-Acquired Pneumonia Triage & Empiric Antimicrobials calculated in practice? Can you show a worked example?
- Inputs: CURB-65 score (0–5) 1, Major criteria (respiratory failure needing mechanical ventilation or septic shock needing vasopressors) Any present, Number of minor criteria met (of 9) 1, Comorbidities/risk factors (chronic disease, recent antibiotics, etc.) Present → Result: Triage Admit to ICU (severe CAP)（Severity: Severe CAP (≥ 1 major or ≥ 3 minor criteria), Empiric antimicrobials: IV β-lactam + macrolide, or β-lactam + respiratory fluoroquinolone, Coverage note: With MRSA or Pseudomonas aeruginosa risk factors (recent hospitalization/IV antibiotics, prior colonization, structural lung disease, etc.) add the corresponding coverage and send cultures） Inputs: CURB-65 score (0–5) 1, Major criteria (respiratory failure needing mechanical ventilation or septic shock needing vasopressors) None, Number of minor criteria met (of 9) 1, Comorbidities/risk factors (chronic disease, recent antibiotics, etc.) Absent → Result: Triage Outpatient treatment feasible（Severity: CURB-65 1 points, Empiric antimicrobials: No comorbidities: amoxicillin or doxycycline (a macrolide where local macrolide resistance is low), Coverage note: With MRSA or Pseudomonas aeruginosa risk factors (recent hospitalization/IV antibiotics, prior colonization, structural lung disease, etc.) add the corresponding coverage and send cultures）