Pulmonary infections

Question 1

What % of blood cultures are positive in untreated pneumonia?

Answer 1

Only 10-20% of cases of untreated pneumonia have positive blood cultures. When they are positive, they are most likely to be Strep pneumoniae (60%) or Haemophilus influenza (2-13%).
Blood cultures should be sent for all hospitalised patients, but treatment should be started empirically rather than awaiting results