22nd May 2024

A 72-year-old lady presents with shortness of breath and a cough for 3 days and is seen in the acute medical unit

A 72-year-old lady presents with shortness of breath and a cough for 3 days and is seen in the acute medical unit. Her cough is productive of sputum which she describes as greenish. On examination, her oxygen saturations are 96% on air, RR is 24, BP is 110/58 mmHg and HR is 88 beats per minute. She is pyrexial. You diagnose a community acquired pneumonia, with a chest x-ray awaited. She has never smoked and does not have any other underlying medical diagnoses. She has recently returned from a holiday in Portugal where she stayed in an air-conditioned villa. Blood tests are as follows:

Haemoglobin: 122 g/L (115-165)

White cell count: 13.6 x 10⁹/L (4.0–11.0)

Platelet count: 360 x 10⁹/L (150-400)

Serum urea: 6.5 mmol/L (2.5-7.0)

Serum creatinine: 108 μmol/L (60–110)

Serum eGFR: 64 mL/minute/1.73 m²

Which of the following statements is correct regarding antibiotic therapy?

Select the SINGLE most appropriate option from the list below. Select ONE option only.