Level II: treatment for hospitalised patient
| Bronchodilators |
| Short-acting β2‐agonist and/or |
| Ipratropium MDI with spacer or hand-held nebuliser as needed |
| Supplemental oxygen (if saturation <90%) |
| Corticosteroids |
| If patient tolerates, prednisone 30–40 mg orally·day−1 for 10–14 days |
| If patient can not tolerate oral intake, equivalent dose i.v. for up to 14 days |
| Consider using inhaled corticosteroids by MDI or hand-held nebuliser |
| Antibiotics (based on local bacteria resistance patterns) |
| May be initiated in patients that have a change in their sputum characteristics# |
| Choice should be based on local bacteria resistance patterns |
| Amoxicillin/clavulanate |
| Respiratory fluoroquinolones (gatifloxacin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin) |
| If Pseudomonas spp. and/or other Enterobactereaces spp. are suspected, consider combination therapy |
MDI: metered-dose inhaler
#: purulence and/or volume