[MIPS: multicenter Italian pneumonia study. Results of an observational, prospective and multicenter study on the clinical approach to community-acquired pneumonia].

In a survey of 25 Divisions of Internal Medicine and Pneumology throughout Italy, our study aimed to ascertain the diagnostic and therapeutic pathway, the gravity in accordance with Fine's score (PSI), the median hospital length of stay and mortality rate among patients consecutively hospitalized for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), from January 1 to March 31, 2002. Overall 407 patients were evaluated, with a mean age of 69 years; the following Fine's scores: 28% less than 70, 21.4% between 71 and 90, 31.25% between 91 and 130, 19.4% more than130. A single chest radiography was performed in 27.2% of the patients, two chest radiographs in 55.2% of the patients, more than two chest radiographs in 13.2% of the patients. A CT scan of the thorax was performed in 20.1% of the patients; arterial blood gas tensions were measured in 73.4% of the patients. Antibiotics were used as follows: beta-lactams in 46.5% of the patients, fluoroquinolones in 30% of the patients, macrolides in 13.2% of the patients, glycopeptides in 2.2% of the patients, others in 2.9% of the patients. Mean hospital stay was 11 days; the 30-day in-hospital mortality was 9.6%. This study showed that a large number of patients with low-risk CAP were unnecessarily hospitalized.