Lung abscess: an update on the current knowledge and call for future investigations

Abstract

Purpose of review: Lung abscess is a severe and complex respiratory infection. The purpose of this review is to discuss recent publications on lung abscess, covering topics such as epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment and prevention.

Recent findings: Risk factors associated with lung abscess include structural lung disease, poor dental hygiene, and ventilator-associated pneumonia, while concerns are now raised regarding the potential of electronic cigarettes use as a risk factor. The complexity of lung abscess is reflected by the relative high number of case reports describing rare and complex cases. Early transthoracic drainage could improve in-hospital outcomes, while next-generation sequencing could become an important tool in diagnostics and future clinical studies.

Summary: High-quality evidence and guidelines to support treatment of lung abscess are lacking. Despite advancements, we call for prospective studies to evaluate the use of invasive procedures and antibiotic treatment regimens.