The role of percutaneous lung aspiration in the bacteriological diagnosis of pneumonia in adults.

In a prospective study of 175 adults with acute pneumonia, percutaneous lung aspiration (PLA) was performed in 144 in an attempt to obtain a bacteriological diagnosis. Positive cultures were obtained from PLA in 90/144 cases (62.5%). The most common organisms isolated were Streptococcus pneumoniae (60%) gram-negative bacilli including Hemophilus influenzae (26%) and Staphylococcus aureus (11%). In 39% of those patients with positive PLA cultures, the same organism was isolated on blood cultures. Complications of PLA were uncommon, with hemoptysis in 4% and chest wall hematoma in 0.7% of patients. The incidence of post-aspirate pneumothorax was not determined in this study. PLA was found to be a safe and effective method of obtaining a bacteriological diagnosis in adult patients with pneumonia.