Duration of therapy for Staphylococcus aureus (staphylococcal) pneumonia

For patients with staphylococcal pneumonia (including methicillin- or penicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus or methicillin-resistant S. aureus), seek expert advice about the optimal treatment duration.

For patients with uncomplicated staphylococcal pneumonia (absence of bacteraemia, metastatic spread, endocarditis, lung abscess or empyema) a total treatment duration of 7 to 14 days (intravenous + oral) is usually required.

A longer duration of therapy is required for patients with lung abscess, or complicated parapneumonic effusion or empyema complicating pneumonia. For patients with bacteraemia, see Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia, including sepsis and septic shock for duration of therapy and other management advice.

For management of patients who are not improving, see (as relevant):

• Approach to managing adults with CAP who are not improving
• Approach to managing children 2 months or older with CAP who are not improving
• Approach to managing patients with HAP who are not improving
• Approach to managing patients with VAP who are not improving.

General strategies to prevent further episodes of pneumonia in adults are outlined in Prevention of CAP in adults. For strategies to prevent hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) or ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), see Prevention of HAP or Prevention of VAP.