Necrotizing Pneumonia

Necrotizing pneumonia refers to the development of necrosis, liquefication, and cavitation of the lung parenchyma from an infectious pathogen. Nearly 4% of all community-acquired pneumonias are necrotizing, although studies retrospectively evaluating the incidence have found it to be increasing during the past 20 years. Common presenting symptoms include fever, tachypnea, and cough, and most of those afflicted also develop complications such as parapneumonic effusions, empyemas, or bronchopleural fistulae. When compared to age-matched controls with parapneumonic effusions or severe pneumonias without a necrotizing component, those with necrotizing pneumonia have been shown to have more elevated white blood cell counts and inflammatory markers that take longer to normalize, a longer duration of symptoms despite initiation of therapy, and a longer hospital stay. Despite the high incidence of complications during the acute phase of illness, the overall prognosis of necrotizing pneumonia has been shown to be promising, with nearly all children surviving the illness. Pediatr Ann. 2017;46(2):e65-e68..