Antibiotic within six hours

In 2009, 93 percent of eligible pneumonia patients at Community Health Network and The Indiana Heart Hospital were administered the first dose of antibiotic therapy within six hours of hospital admission.  

Why are antibiotics important in the treatment of pneumonia?

Fever and chills are common in persons who develop pneumonia, with the temperature rising to as high as 106 degrees. Other symptoms, such as rust-colored sputum, pain associated with breathing, weakness, and shortness of breath, are also common with pneumonia. With antibiotic therapy, fever and related symptoms usually begin to subside in two to three days, as the pneumonia-causing bacteria are reduced in number. Careful antibiotic selection is vital in order to penetrate the specific bacteria that caused the pneumonia. (Porth, C. M. (Ed.). (2005). Pathophysiology: Concepts of Altered Health States. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins)

Multiple studies have demonstrated improved survival in persons with pneumonia who receive antibiotics in a timely manner. A study in the Archives of Internal Medicine (March 2002: 162(6); 682-688) indicates that starting antibiotics in the emergency room, after careful consideration of which antibiotic to use, can also reduce the number of days a person is hospitalized.

A later study of 18,209 Medicare patients with community acquired pneumonia, which was reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine (March 2005: 164(6); 637-644), demonstrates shorter length of stay, reduced death and lower hospital costs for patients who receive antibiotics within four hours.

Key

CHE = Community Hospital East
CHN = Community Hospital North
CHS = Community Hospital South
CHA = Community Hospital Anderson
TIHH = The Indiana Heart Hospital
NR = Not Reported
Network = Networkwide Total
National = National Total reported by U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services

= Be careful when drawing conclusions for these hospitals because of the small number of patients treated for this condition.