How is pneumonia treated? a friend of mine was diagnosed with pneumonia and has been hospitalized for nearly 3 weeks. her treatment consisted of antibiotics, intubation, bronchodilators, oxygen therapy. she had a tube placed through her chest to drain the

It : It sounds like she's progressed from having pneumonia to having infected fluid around the lung (called empyema). Empyema is treated by placing large-bore chest tubes and, if that does't fix the problem, by a surgical procedure called decortication. The fact that she has not responded well to less invasive therapy may be due to her underlying leukemia. One thing that can sometimes be done to get rid of the fluid without surgery is to flush the chest cavity with drugs that dissolve the fibrous debris that forms in empyema. These agents are called lytics, and the technique, while not universally known, has been published several times in the medical literature.

Different types: Pneumonia refers to infection and inflammation of the lungs. It can be caused by different things, such as infection with virus or bacteria or even by a tumor that blocks part of the airway. Not only do these different cause influence the severity of the disease, but some people can have a mild reaction and be treated at home, while others may have a severe reaction - like your friend.