The goal of this study was to compare outcomes and costs of two management strategies for non-ventilator-associated nosocomial pneumonia (NP) in a medical ward. In this single-centre study, NP patients (n = 68) were randomized to receive non-invasive management (NIM) with immediate empirical antibiotic treatment (n = 34), or invasive management (IM) based on protected brush sampling of specimens (n = 34). The economic analysis adopted the hospital's perspective and took into account only direct costs. Baseline characteristics did not differ significantly between the two patient groups. The most frequently isolated organisms were Staphylococcus (25.4%), Streptococcus (23.7%) and Pseudomonas (18.6%) species. The 28-day clinical cure rate did not differ notably between the two groups (NIM, 79.4%; IM, 73.5%). Mortality at 28 days tended to be lower in the NIM group (10.0% vs. 21.8%). Mean antibiotic costs were lower in the IM group (euro194 +/- 355 vs. euro300 +/- 335, p <0.001) but overall management costs were similar (respectively, euro367 +/- 355 and euro346 +/- 363 in the IM and NIM groups, p = 0.08). With respect to both outcome and cost, this study does not support routine management of NP in medical wards using invasive procedures.