Definition of hospital-acquired pneumonia and characteristics of guidelines in Japan

P>center dot Hospital-acquired pneumonia is defined as pneumonia that appears for the first time within 48 h of hospital admission. Special care is needed in treatment because of poor patient conditions, including the underlying disorder, immunocompetence and general status. center dot The 2002 hospital-acquired pneumonia guidelines were reviewed, and the current revisions were made based on those findings with the aim of producing simple and practical guidelines. center dot Differences are seen between hospital-acquired pneumonia in the USA and Japan, and hospital-acquired pneumonia treatment guidelines matched to circumstances in Japan were considered necessary.