Antibiotic treatment of patients with pneumonia and pleural effusion

Despite all medical advances of this century, pneumonia is still a common condition and the sixth leading cause of mortality in the United States. A pleural effusion develops in up to 40% of cases of pneumonia and empyema in 5% to 10% of those patients. The morbidity and mortality rates in patients with pleural effusions as a consequence of pneumonia are higher than in patients with pneumonia alone. In this review we discuss the classification, bacteriology, and the appropriate antibiotic treatment of patients with parapneumonic pleural effusions.