Needle aspiration techniques in the diagnosis of pneumonia

Abstract

There is a need for improved diagnostic methods in pneumonia in view of the low bacteriological yield from conventional diag nostic methods (Gram stain and culture of bronchial secretions, pleural fluid and blood culture), the difficulty of identifying the cause of common pulmonary infections on clinical grounds, the increasing number of bacteria that are resistant to commonly used broad spectrum antibiotics (which complicates an empirical approach to treatment), and the clinical importance of correctly identifying the causative organisms of pulmonary infection and favourable cost-benefit ratio.'