Background

Pneumonia is one of the most common causes of severe sepsis and the leading infectious cause of detain in children and adults in the United States. For epidemiologic and treatment purposes, pneumonia is often categorized based on the site of acquisition. It can either be community-acquired or hospital-acquired pneumonia.

Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP)

• acute infection of the pulmonary parenchyma
• onset outside of the hospital or within 48 hours of hospital admission