Seminars in respiratory and critical care medicine
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Semin Respir Crit Care Med · Apr 2022
Risk Factors and Algorithms for the Empirical Treatment of Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia and Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia.
Hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) continue to be major concerns for morbidity and mortality, especially in patients treated in the intensive care unit. With the rise in multidrug-resistant organisms, HAP and VAP treatment is challenged by the need for early appropriate treatment, with broad-spectrum agents, while still being aware of the principles of antibiotic stewardship. The two major society guidelines proposed a series of risk factors in their most recent guidelines to help identify patients who can most benefit from narrow- or broad-spectrum initial empiric antibiotic therapy. The guidelines reveal differences in the proposed risk factors and treatment approaches, as well as major similarities.
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Nosocomial pneumonia is associated with worsened prognosis when diagnosed in intensive care unit (ICU), ranging from 12 to 48% mortality. The incidence rate of ventilation-acquired pneumonia tends to decrease below 15/1,000 intubation-day. Still, international guidelines are heterogeneous about diagnostic criteria because of inaccuracy of available methods. ⋯ The development of molecular diagnostic tools may improve the adequacy of antimicrobial therapies of ventilated patients with pneumonia, but we need to further assess its impact in non-ventilated pneumonia. In this review we introduce distinction between hospital-acquired pneumonia according to the localization in the hospital and the oxygenation/ventilation mode. A clarification of definition is the first step to develop more accurate diagnostic strategies and to improve the patients' prognosis.
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Semin Respir Crit Care Med · Apr 2022
Multicenter StudyHospital-Acquired Pneumonia/Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia and Ventilator-Associated Tracheobronchitis in COVID-19.
Although few studies evaluated the incidence of hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) or ventilator-associated tracheobronchitis in COVID-19 patients, several studies evaluated the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in these patients. Based on the results of a large multicenter European study, VAP incidence is higher in patients with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia (36.1%), as compared with those with influenza pneumonia (22.2%), or no viral infection at intensive care unit (ICU) admission (16.5%). ⋯ VAP is associated with increased mortality, duration of mechanical ventilation, and ICU length of stay in COVID-19 patients. Further studies should focus on the incidence of HAP especially in ICU non-ventilated patients, better determine the pathophysiology of these infections, and evaluate the accuracy of currently available treatment guidelines in COVID-19 patients.
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Semin Respir Crit Care Med · Apr 2022
Nebulized Antibiotics for Healthcare- and Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia.
Global emergence of multidrug-resistant and extensive drug-resistant gram-negative bacteria has increased the risk of treatment failure, especially for healthcare- or ventilator-associated pneumonia (HAP/VAP). Nebulization of antibiotics, by providing high intrapulmonary antibiotic concentrations, represents a promising approach to optimize the treatment of HAP/VAP due to multidrug-resistant and extensive drug-resistant gram-negative bacteria, while limiting systemic antibiotic exposure. Aminoglycosides and colistin methanesulfonate are the most common nebulized antibiotics. ⋯ Adjunctive nebulized aminoglycosides could increase the clinical cure rate and bacteriological eradication in patients suffering from HAP/VAP due to multidrug-resistant and extensive drug-resistant gram-negative bacteria. As nebulized aminoglycosides broadly diffuse in the systemic circulation of patients with extensive bronchopneumonia, monitoring of plasma trough concentrations is recommended during the period of nebulization. Large randomized controlled trials comparing high dose of nebulized colistin methanesulfonate to high dose of intravenous colistin methanesulfonate or to intravenous new β-lactams in HAP/VAP due to multidrug-resistant and extensive drug-resistant gram-negative bacteria are urgently needed.
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Semin Respir Crit Care Med · Apr 2022
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia/Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a common cause of hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). MRSA pneumonia is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Several virulence factors allow S. aureus to become an effective pathogen. ⋯ Over the past decade, prospective studies have shown that linezolid leads to higher rates of clinical cure. Monoclonal antibodies are being studied as potential therapeutic options. MRSA is an important cause of HAP/VAP; novel diagnostics may facilitate rapid diagnosis of this infection and the available literature should be used to make informed decisions on management.