Impact of invasive strategy on management of antimicrobial treatment failure in institutionalized older people with severe pneumonia

Human metapneumovirus infection is associated with a substantial morbidity and mortality burden in adult inpatients

Background

Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is one of the leading respiratory viruses. This prospective observational study aimed to describe the clinical features and the outcomes of hMPV-associated lower respiratory tract infections in adult inpatients.

Methods

Consecutive adult patients admitted to one of the 31 participating centers with an acute lower respiratory tract infection and a respiratory multiplex PCR positive for hMPV were included. A primary composite end point of complicated course (hospital death and/or the need for invasive mechanical ventilation) was used.

Results

Between March 2018 and May 2019, 208 patients were included. The median age was 74 [62-84] years. Ninety-seven (47 %) patients were men, 187 (90 %) had at least one coexisting illness, and 67 (31 %) were immunocompromised. Median time between first symptoms and hospital admission was 3 [2-7] days. The two most frequent symptoms were dyspnea (86 %) and cough (85 %). The three most frequent clinical diagnoses were pneumonia (42 %), acute bronchitis (20 %) and acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (16 %). Among the 52 (25 %) patients who had a lung CT-scan, the most frequent abnormality was ground glass opacity (41 %). While over four-fifths of patients (81 %) received empirical antibiotic therapy, a bacterial coinfection was diagnosed in 61 (29 %) patients. Mixed flora (16 %) and enterobacteria (5 %) were the predominant documentations. The composite criterion of complicated course was assessable in 202 (97 %) patients, and present in 37 (18 %) of them. In the subpopulation of pneumonia patients (42 %), we observed a more complicated course in those with a bacterial coinfection (8/24, 33 %) as compared to those without (5/60, 8 %) (p = 0.02). Sixty (29 %) patients were admitted to the intensive care unit. Among them, 23 (38 %) patients required invasive mechanical ventilation. In multivariable analysis, tachycardia and alteration of consciousness were identified as risk factors for complicated course.

Conclusion

hMPV-associated lower respiratory tract infections in adult inpatients mostly involved elderly people with pre-existing conditions. Bacterial coinfection was present in nearly 30 % of the patients. The need for mechanical ventilation and/or the hospital death were observed in almost 20 % of the patients.

Clinical Value of Sampling Time of Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing in Patients with Severe Pneumonia

Objective

Severe pneumonia is a common infectious disease with high morbidity and mortality. Early etiological diagnosis is crucial for improving the prognosis. The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical value of sampling time of mNGS in patients with severe pneumonia.

Methods

This retrospective study enrolled 105 patients with severe pneumonia. mNGS was performed on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Patients were divided into the sampling time ≤ 72h vs sampling time >72h groups and survivors vs non-survivors groups according to their sampling time and prognosis. Clinical characteristics, the adjustment of antibiotics and clinical prognostic value were evaluated.

Results

Our study showed that, early sampling of mNGS can significantly shorten the mechanical ventilation time (p = 0.007) and hospitalization time (p = 0.004). In the non-survivors group, CURB-65, SOFA, and APACHE II scores were higher. Age (OR: 1.051, 95% CI: 1.004-1.100, p = 0.034), chronic respiratory diseases (OR: 4.639, 95% CI: 1.260-17.082, p = 0.021), immunosuppression (OR: 5.008, 95% CI: 1.617-15.510, p = 0.005) and SOFA score on the day of mNGS sampling (OR: 1.492, 95% CI: 1.212-1.837, p < 0.001) were independent risk factors of in-hospital mortality. The most common pathogens were Klebsiella pneumoniae and Human gammaherpesvirus 4. The proportion of appropriate and targeted antibiotics adjusted was significantly higher than that in the sampling time > 72h group, and the proportion of antifungal and antiviral agents adjusted was lower. In the early sampling group, it was significantly decreased in the CRP, PCT level and NEU% at discharge.

Conclusion

This study demonstrated that early sampling of mNGS could shorten the time of mechanical ventilation and hospitalization of patients with severe pneumonia. Patients with higher SOFA score on the day of sampling had a poorer prognosis. It emphasizes that early sampling of mNGS has a positive value.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa Pneumonia: Evolution of Antimicrobial Resistance and Implications for Therapy

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA), a non-lactose-fermenting gram-negative bacillus, is a common cause of nosocomial infections in critically ill or debilitated patients, particularly ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), and infections of urinary tract, intra-abdominal, wounds, skin/soft tissue, and bloodstream. PA rarely affects healthy individuals, but may cause serious infections in patients with chronic structural lung disease, comorbidities, advanced age, impaired immune defenses, or with medical devices (e.g., urinary or intravascular catheters, foreign bodies). Treatment of pseudomonal infections is difficult, as PA is intrinsically resistant to multiple antimicrobials, and may acquire new resistance determinants even while on antimicrobial therapy. Mortality associated with pseudomonal VAP or bacteremias is high (> 35%) and optimal therapy is controversial. Over the past three decades, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among PA has escalated globally, via dissemination of several international multidrug resistant "epidemic" clones. We discuss the importance of PA as a cause of pneumonia including health care-associated pneumonia, hospital-acquired pneumonia, VAP, the emergence of AMR to this pathogen, and approaches to therapy (both empirical and definitive).

"Difficult" pneumonia

The article considers the issues of therapeutic management of patients with so-called difficult pneumonia, particularly, patients with diagnosed syndrome slowly resolving / nonresolving pneumonia, who do not respond to the treatment. The reasons and significant risk factors potentially affecting the effectiveness of therapy are analyzed, the therapeutic tactics of managing patients with no response to treatment are considered, the list of necessary diagnostic methods and directions of antibiotic therapy is updated. The article analyses the tactics of managing patients with pneumonia during a pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. It also provides directions of diagnostics with priority discussion of biological markers of the inflammatory response as well as antimicrobial therapy strategy.

Characterizing non-linear effects of hospitalisation duration on antimicrobial resistance in respiratory isolates: an analysis of a prospective nationwide surveillance system

OBJECTIVES

Our objective was to systematically study the influence of length of hospital stay on bacterial resistance in relevant respiratory tract isolates.

METHODS

Using prospective epidemiological data from the National Swiss Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance System, susceptibility testing results for respiratory isolates retrospectively retrieved from patients hospitalised between 2008 and 2014 were compiled. Generalized additive models were used to illustrate resistance rates relative to hospitalisation duration and to adjust for co-variables.

RESULTS

In all, 19 622 isolates of six relevant and predominant species were included. Resistance patterns for the predominant species showed a species-specific and antibiotic-resistance-specific profile in function of hospitalisation duration. The oxacillin resistance profile in Staphylococcus aureus isolates was constantly increasing (monophasic). The pattern of resistance to cefepime in Pseudomonas aeruginosa was biphasic with a decreasing resistance rate for the first 5 days of hospitalisation and an increase for days 6-30. A different biphasic pattern occurred in Escherichia coli regarding amoxicillin-clavulanic acid resistance: odds/day increased for the first 7 days of hospitalisation and then remained stable for days 8-30. In the adjusted models epidemiological characteristics such as age, ward type, hospital type and linguistic region were identified as relevant co-variables for the resistance rates. The contribution of these confounders was specific to the individual species/antibiotic resistance models.

CONCLUSIONS

Resistance rates do not follow a dichotomic pattern (early versus late nosocomial) as suggested by current hospital-acquired pneumonia treatment guidelines. Duration of hospitalisation rather appears to have a more complex and non-linear relationship with bacterial resistance in hospital-acquired pneumonia, also depending on host and environmental factors.

Role of Atypical Bacteria in Hospitalized Patients With Nursing Home-Acquired Pneumonia

Background: Nursing home-acquired pneumonia (NHAP) has been identified as one of the leading causes of mortality and hospitalization for long-term care residents. However, current and previous pneumonia guidelines differ on the appropriate management of NHAP in hospitalized patients, specifically in regard to the role of atypical bacteria such as Chlamydiae pneumonia, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and Legionella. Objectives: The purpose of this review is to evaluate clinical trials conducted in hospitalized patients with NHAP to determine the prevalence of atypical bacteria and thus the role for empiric antibiotic coverage of these pathogens in NHAP. Methods: Comprehensive MEDLINE (1966-April 2016) and Embase (1980-April 2016) searches were performed using the terms "atypical bacteria", "atypical pneumonia", "nursing-home acquired pneumonia", "pneumonia", "elderly", "nursing homes", and "long term care". Additional articles were retrieved from the review of references cited in the collected studies. Thirteen published clinical trials were identified. Results: In the majority of studies, atypical bacteria were infrequently identified in patients hospitalized with NHAP. However, when an active community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) cohort was available, the rate of atypical bacteria between NHAP and CAP study arms was similar. Only 3 studies in this review adhered to recommended strategies for investigating atypical bacteria; in 2 of these studies, C. pneumoniae was the most common pathogen identified in NHAP cohorts. Conclusion: Although atypical bacteria were uncommon in most NHAP studies in this review, suboptimal microbial investigations were commonly performed. To accurately describe the role of atypical bacteria in NHAP, more studies using validated diagnostic tests are needed.

Sepsis and Other Infectious Disease Emergencies in the Elderly

Waning immunity and declining anatomic and physiologic defenses render the elder vulnerable to a wide range of infectious diseases. Clinical presentations are often atypical and muted, favoring global changes in mental status and function over febrile responses or localizing symptoms. This review encompasses early recognition, evaluation, and appropriate management of these common infections specifically in the context of elders presenting to the emergency department. With enhanced understanding and appreciation of the unique aspects of infections in the elderly, emergency physicians can play an integral part in reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with these often debilitating and life-threatening diseases.

Diagnosis and features of hospital-acquired pneumonia: a retrospective cohort study

Background

Hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) is defined as radiologically confirmed pneumonia occurring ≥48 h after hospitalization, in non-intubated patients. Empirical treatment regimens use broad-spectrum antimicrobials.

Aim

To evaluate the accuracy of the diagnosis of HAP and to describe the demographic and microbiological features of patients with HAP.

Methods

Medical and surgical inpatients receiving intravenous antimicrobials for a clinical diagnosis of HAP at a UK tertiary care hospital between April 2013 and 2014 were identified. Demographic and clinical details were recorded.

Findings

A total of 166 adult patients with a clinical diagnosis of HAP were identified. Broad-spectrum antimicrobials were prescribed, primarily piperacillin–tazobactam (57.2%) and co-amoxiclav (12.5%). Sputum from 24.7% of patients was obtained for culture. Sixty-five percent of patients had radiological evidence of new/progressive infiltrate at the time of HAP treatment, therefore meeting HAP diagnostic criteria (2005 American Thoracic Society/Infectious Diseases Society of America guidelines). Radiologically confirmed HAP was associated with higher levels of inflammatory markers and sputum culture positivity. Previous surgery and/or endotracheal intubation were associated with radiologically confirmed HAP. A bacterial pathogen was identified from 17/35 sputum samples from radiologically confirmed HAP patients. These were Gram-negative bacilli (N = 11) or Staphylococcus aureus (N = 6). Gram-negative bacteria tended to be resistant to co-amoxiclav, but susceptible to ciprofloxacin, piperacillin–tazobactam and meropenem. Five of the six S. aureus isolates were meticillin susceptible and all were susceptible to doxycycline.

Conclusion

In ward-level hospital practice ‘HAP’ is an over-used diagnosis that may be inaccurate in 35% of cases when objective radiological criteria are applied. Radiologically confirmed HAP represents a distinct clinical and microbiological phenotype. Potential risk factors were identified that could represent targets for preventive interventions.

Pneumonia in the neutropenic cancer patient

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Pneumonia is the leading cause of death among neutropenic cancer patients, particularly those with acute leukaemia. Even with empiric therapy, case fatality rates of neutropenic pneumonias remain unacceptably high. However, recent advances in the management of neutropenic pneumonia offer hope for improved outcomes in the cancer setting. This review summarizes recent literature regarding the clinical presentation, microbiologic trends, diagnostic advances and therapeutic recommendations for cancer-related neutropenic pneumonia.

RECENT FINDINGS

Although neutropenic patients acquire pathogens both in community and nosocomial settings, patients' obligate healthcare exposures result in the frequent identification of multidrug-resistant bacterial organisms on conventional culture-based assessment of respiratory secretions. Modern molecular techniques, including expanded use of galactomannan testing, have further facilitated identification of fungal pathogens, allowing for aggressive interventions that appear to improve patient outcomes. Multiple interested societies have issued updated guidelines for antibiotic therapy of suspected neutropenic pneumonia. The benefit of antibiotic medications may be further enhanced by agents that promote host responses to infection.

SUMMARY

Neutropenic cancer patients have numerous potential causes for pulmonary infiltrates and clinical deterioration, with lower respiratory tract infections among the most deadly. Early clinical suspicion, diagnosis and intervention for neutropenic pneumonia provide cancer patients' best hope for survival.

Selection of empirical antibiotics for health care-associated pneumonia via integration of pneumonia severity index and risk factors of drug-resistant pathogens

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

The pneumonia severity index (PSI) both contains some risk factors of drug-resistant pathogens (DRPs) and represents the severity of health care-associated pneumonia. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the PSI could be used to predict DRPs and whether there were risk factors beyond the PSI.

METHODS

A retrospective observational study enrolled 530 patients with health care-associated pneumonia who were admitted from January 2005 to December 2010 in a tertiary care hospital.

RESULTS

A total of 206 patients (38.9%) had DRPs, of which the most common was Pseudomonas aeruginosa (24.3%). The incidence of DRPs increased with increasing PSI classes (6.7%, 25.5%, 36.9%, and 44.6% in PSI II, III, IV, and V, respectively). An analysis of the risk factors for DRPs by PSI classes revealed that wound care was associated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection in PSI V (p = 0.045). Nasogastric tube feeding (odds ratio, 3.88; 95% confidence interval, 1.75-8.60; p = 0.006), and bronchiectasis (odds ratio, 3.12; 95% confidence interval, 0.66-14.69; p = 0.007) were risk factors for DRPs in PSI III and IV. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve progressed from 0.578 to 0.651 while integrating these risk factors with PSI classes.

CONCLUSION

The findings suggested that PSI plus risk factors predicted the risk of DRPs. PSI II had a low risk of DRPs and could be treated as community-acquired pneumonia. Antibiotics of PSI III and IV with risk factors could be targeted DRPs. PSI V with wound care had a higher risk of MRSA, and empirical anti-MRSA antibiotics could be added.

Prevention of Healthcare-Associated Pneumonia with Oral Care in Individuals Without Mechanical Ventilation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

OBJECTIVE

Evidence is lacking on the preventive effect of oral care on healthcare-associated pneumonia in hospitalized patients and nursing home residents who are not mechanically ventilated. The primary aim of this review was to assess the effectiveness of oral care on the incidence of pneumonia in nonventilated patients.

METHODS

We searched 8 databases (MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, CINAHL, Web of Science, LILACS, ICHUSHI, and CiNii), in addition to trial registries and a manual search. Eligible studies were published and unpublished randomized controlled trials examining the effect of any method of oral care on reported incidence of pneumonia and/or fatal pneumonia. Relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Risk of bias was assessed for eligible studies.

RESULTS

We identified 5 studies consisting of 1,009 subjects that met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 2 trials assessed the effect of chlorhexidine in hospitalized patients; 3 studies examined mechanical oral cleaning in nursing home residents. A meta-analysis could only be done on 4 trials; this analysis showed a significant risk reduction in pneumonia through oral care interventions (RRfixed, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.40–0.91; P=.02). The effects of mechanical oral care alone were significant when pooled across studies. (RRfixed, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.40–0.92; P=.02). Risk reduction for fatal pneumonia from mechanical oral cleaning was also significant (RRfixed, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.23–0.71; P=.002). Most studies had a high risk of bias.

CONCLUSIONS

This analysis suggests a preventive effect of oral care on pneumonia in nonventilated individuals. This effect, however, should be interpreted with caution due to risk of bias in the included trials.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2015;36(8): 899–906

Community-acquired pneumonia: identification and evaluation of nonresponders

Community acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a relevant public health problem, constituting an important cause of morbidity and mortality. It accounts for a significant number of adult hospital admissions and a large number of those patients ultimately die, especially the population who needed mechanical ventilation or vasopressor support. Thus, early identification of CAP patients and its rapid and appropriate treatment are important features with impact on hospital resource consumption and overall mortality. Although CAP diagnosis may sometimes be straightforward, the diagnostic criteria commonly used are highly sensitive but largely unspecific. Biomarkers and microbiological documentation may be useful but have important limitations. Evaluation of clinical response is also critical especially to identify patients who fail to respond to initial treatment since these patients have a high risk of in-hospital death. However, the criteria of definition of non-response in CAP are largely empirical and frequently markedly diverse between different studies. In this review, we aim to identify criteria defining nonresponse in CAP and the pitfalls associated with this diagnosis. We also aim to overview the main causes of treatment failure especially in severe CAP and the possible strategies to identify and reassess non-responders trying to change the dismal prognosis associated with this condition.

Healthcare-associated pneumonia: a US disease or relevant to the Asia Pacific, too?

The term 'health care-associated pneumonia' (HCAP) was introduced by the American Thoracic Society and the Infectious Diseases Society of America in 2005 to describe a distinct entity of pneumonia that resembles hospital-acquired pneumonia rather than community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in terms of occurrence of drug-resistant pathogens and mortality in patients that--while not hospitalized in the traditional sense--have been in recent contact with the health-care system. It was proposed that HCAP should be treated empirically with therapy for drug-resistant pathogens. Over the last few years, there has been increasing controversy over whether HCAP is a helpful definition, or leads to unnecessary and potentially problematic overtreatment. The term HCAP has been extensively criticized in Europe. While most studies have shown that HCAP is associated with more frequent drug-resistant pathogens and higher mortality than CAP, there is no clear evidence that this is due to inappropriate antibiotic therapy. Therapy consistent with HCAP treatment guidelines has also not been found to improve mortality. Based on current evidence, we suggest broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy to treat possible pathogens not usually covered in CAP be based on assessment of individual risk factors rather than applying a HCAP classification system in the Asia-Pacific Region.

Predictors of the pathogenicity of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus nosocomial pneumonia

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

The clinical characteristics of patients with nosocomial pneumonia (NP) associated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection are not well characterized.

METHODS

Three hundred and thirty-seven consecutive patients with MRSA isolation from respiratory specimens who attended our hospital between April 2007 and March 2011 were enrolled. Patients characteristics diagnosed with 'true' MRSA-NP were described with regards to clinical, microbiological features, radiological features and genetic characteristics of the isolates. The diagnosis of 'true' MRSA-NP was confirmed by anti-MRSA treatment effects, Gram-staining or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid culture.

RESULTS

Thirty-six patients were diagnosed with 'true' MRSA-NP, whereas 34 were diagnosed with NP with MRSA colonization. Patients with a MRSA-NP had a Pneumonia Patient Outcomes Research Team score of 5 (58.3% vs 23.5%), single cultivation of MRSA (83.3% vs 38.2%), MRSA quantitative cultivation yielding more than 10(6) CFU/mL (80.6% vs 47.1%), radiological findings other than lobar pneumonia (66.7% vs 26.5%), and a history of head, neck, oesophageal or stomach surgery (30.6% vs 11.8%). These factors were shown to be independent predictors of the pathogenicity of 'true' MRSA-NP by multivariate analysis (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

'True' MRSA-NP shows distinct clinical and radiological features from NP with MRSA colonization.

A new strategy for healthcare-associated pneumonia: a 2-year prospective multicenter cohort study using risk factors for multidrug-resistant pathogens to select initial empiric therapy

BACKGROUND

Optimal empiric therapy for hospitalized patients with healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP) is uncertain.

METHODS

We prospectively applied a therapeutic algorithm, based on the presence of risk factors for multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens in a multicenter cohort study of 445 pneumonia patients, including both community-acquired pneumonia (CAP; n = 124) and HCAP (n = 321).

RESULTS

MDR pathogens were more common (15.3% vs 0.8%, P < .001) in HCAP patients than in CAP patients, including Staphylococcus aureus (11.5% vs 0.8%, P < .001); methicillin-resistant S. aureus (6.9% vs 0%, P = .003); Enterobacteriaceae (7.8% vs 2.4%, P = .037); and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (6.9% vs 0.8%, P = .01). Using the proposed algorithm, HCAP patients with ≥2 MDR risk factors, one of which was severity of illness (n = 170), vs HCAP patients with 0-1 risk factor (n = 151) had a significantly higher frequency of MDR pathogens (27.1% vs 2%, P < .001). In total, 93.1% of HCAP patients were treated according to the therapy algorithm, with only 53% receiving broad-spectrum empiric therapy, yet 92.9% received appropriate therapy for the identified pathogen. Thirty-day mortality was significantly higher for HCAP than for CAP (13.7% vs 5.6%, P = .017), but among HCAP patients with 0-1 MDR risk factor, mortality was lower than with ≥2 MDR risk factors (8.6% vs 18.2%, P = .012). In multivariate analysis, initial treatment failure, but not inappropriate empiric antibiotic therapy, was a mortality risk factor (odds ratio, 72.0).

CONCLUSIONS

Basing empiric HCAP therapy on its severity and the presence of risk factors for MDR pathogens is a potentially useful approach that achieves good outcomes without excessive use of broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy.

CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION

Japan Medical Association Center for Clinical Trials, JMA-IIA00054.

Risk factors for drug-resistant bacterial pneumonia in older patients hospitalized with pneumonia in a Chinese population

BACKGROUND

The relationship between healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP) and resistant bacteria is unclear. The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors for pneumonia caused by drug-resistant bacteria (DRB).

METHODS

A prospective cohort study was conducted at a tertiary teaching hospital in Hong Kong. Consecutive older patients (aged ≥65 years) were hospitalized with pneumonia from January 2004 to June 2005. DRB comprised methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) producing Enterobacteriaceae and Acinetobacter baumannii.

RESULTS

The entire cohort consisted of 1176 older patients. Of 472 (40.1%) patients with etiological diagnosis established, bacterial pneumonia was found in 354 (30.1%) cases. DRB were isolated in 48 patients: P. aeruginosa (41), MRSA (5) and ESBL producing enteric bacilli (3). Co-infection with P. aeruginosa and MRSA was found in one patient. The prevalence of DRB in culture-positive pneumonia was 20.1% (48/239). Patients with DRB were more likely to have limitation in activities of daily living, bronchiectasis, dementia, severe pneumonia, recent hospitalization and recent antibiotic use. Logistic regression revealed that bronchiectasis [relative risk (RR) 14.12, P = 0.002], recent hospitalization (RR 4.89, P < 0.001) and severe pneumonia (RR 2.42, P = 0.010) were independent predictors of drug-resistant bacterial pneumonia.

CONCLUSION

Recent hospitalization is the only risk factor for HCAP which is shown to be associated with DRB. Nursing home residence is not a risk factor. The concept of HCAP may not be totally applicable in Hong Kong where the prevalence of drug-resistant pathogens in pneumonia is low.

What is the best approach to the nonresponding patient with community-acquired pneumonia?

Treatment failure in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is the failure to normalize the clinical features (eg, fever, cough, sputum production), or nonresolving image in chest radiograph, despite antimicrobial therapy. The incidence of treatment failure in CAP has not been clearly established; according to several studies it ranges between 6% and 15%. The rate of mortality increases significantly, especially in those patients with severe CAP. It is important to be able to identify what patients are at risk for progressive or treatment failure pneumonia that may make them candidates for a more careful monitoring.

Outcomes of health care-associated pneumonia empirically treated with guideline-concordant regimens versus community-acquired pneumonia guideline-concordant regimens for patients admitted to acute care wards from home

BACKGROUND

The introduction of the health care-associated pneumonia (HCAP) categorization expanded recommendations for broad-spectrum empiric antibiotics to pneumonia patients presenting from the community with recent health care-system exposure. However, the efficacy of such regimens in improving clinical outcomes in these patients has not been well established.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the clinical outcomes of HCAP patients treated initially with HCAP guideline-concordant antibiotic regimens to those treated initially with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) guideline-concordant antibiotic regimens.

METHODS

This retrospective study included HCAP patients presenting from home and admitted to general medical wards. HCAP regimen patients were treated empirically with at least 1 antipseudomonal agent. All other patients were assigned to the CAP regimen group. The primary end point was clinical cure at 30 days postdischarge. Subgroup analysis was performed in patients hospitalized 1-30 days and 31-90 days before the HCAP admission.

RESULTS

Of 228 HCAP admissions, 122 patients received CAP regimens and 106 received HCAP regimens. The 2 groups were similar at baseline, including Pneumonia Severity Index scores. Attributable clinical cure occurred in 75.4% of CAP regimen patients and 69.8% of HCAP regimen patients (p = 0.34). Overall clinical cure occurred in 59.8% of CAP regimen patients and 54.7% of HCAP regimen patients (p = 0.44). The CAP regimen group used fewer days of intravenous antibiotics (4.39 vs 7.75, p < 0.0001) and had shorter lengths of stay (6.36 vs 8.58 days, p < 0.0001). For patients hospitalized 31-90 days earlier, clinical cure was higher in the CAP regimen group (attributable, 82.9% vs 60.0%, p = 0.0090; overall, 67.1% vs 47.5%, p = 0.044).

CONCLUSIONS

Compared to CAP guideline-concordant regimens, treatment of HCAP with HCAP guideline-concordant regimens did not increase clinical cure rates and was associated with lower clinical cure rates in patients hospitalized 31-90 days prior to the HCAP admission. This study suggests that broad-spectrum empiric antibiotics may not be necessary in all HCAP patient groups.

[Multidisciplinary guidelines for the management of community-acquired pneumonia]

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is an infectious respiratory disease with an incidence that ranges from 3 to 8 cases per 1,000 inhabitants per year. This incidence increases with age and comorbidities. Forty per cent of CAP patients require hospitalization and around 10% of these patients are admitted in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Several studies have suggested that the implementation of clinical guidelines has a positive impact in the outcome of patients including mortality and length of stay. The more recent and used guidelines are those from Infectious Diseases Society of America/American Thoracic Society, published in 2007, the 2009 from the British Thoracic Society, and that from the European Respiratory Society/European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, published in 2010. In Spain, the most recently released guideline is the Sociedad Española de Neumología y Cirugía Torácica-2011 guideline. The present guidelines GNAC are designed to be used by the majority of health-care professionals that can participate in the care of CAP patients including diagnosis, decision of hospital and ICU admission, treatment and prevention. The Centro Cochrane Iberoamericano (CCIB) has participated in summarizing the previous guidelines and in the bibliography search. For each one of the following sections the panel of experts has developed a table with recommendations classified according to its evidence, strength and practical applicability using the Grading of Recommendations of Assessment Development and Evaluations (GRADE) system: 1. Epidemiology, microbiological etiology and antibiotic resistances.2. Clinical and microbiological diagnosis.3. Prognostic scales and decision of hospital admission.4. ICU admission criteria. 5. Empirical and definitive antibiotic treatment.6. Treatment failure. 7. Prevention.

Should nursing home-acquired pneumonia be treated as nosocomial pneumonia?

OBJECTIVES

It is contentious whether nursing home-acquired pneumonia (NHAP) should be treated as community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) or health care-associated pneumonia. This study aimed to compare NHAP with CAP, and to examine whether multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria were significantly more common in NHAP than CAP.

DESIGN

A prospective, observational cohort study

SETTING

The medical unit of a tertiary teaching hospital

PARTICIPANTS

Patients 65 years and older, hospitalized for CAP and NHAP confirmed by radiographs from October 2009 to September 2010

MEASUREMENTS

Demographic characteristics, Katz score, Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), pneumonia severity (CURB score), microbiology, and clinical outcomes were measured.

RESULTS

A total of 488 patients were recruited and 116 (23.8%) patients were nursing home residents. Compared with patients with CAP, patients with NHAP were older and had more comorbidities and higher functional dependence level. A larger proportion of patients with NHAP had severe pneumonia (CURB ≥2) than patients with CAP (30.2% vs 20.7%, P = .034). Similar percentages of patients had identified infective causes in the CAP and NHAP groups (27.7% vs 29.3%, P = .734). Viral infection accounted for more than half (55.9%) of NHAP, whereas bacterial infection was the most frequent (69.9%) cause of CAP. MDR bacteria were found in 6 patients of all study subjects. Nursing home residence and history of MDR bacterial infection were risk factors for MDR bacterial pneumonia, which had more severe pneumonia (CURB ≥2). Logistic regression analysis was limited by the small number of patients with MDR bacterial pneumonia.

CONCLUSION

In both CAP and NHAP, MDR bacterial infections were uncommon. Most cases of NHAP were caused by unknown etiology or viral pathogens. We suggest that NHAP should not be treated as nosocomial infection. The empirical treatment of broad-spectrum antibiotics in NHAP should be reserved for patients with severe pneumonia or at high risk of MDR bacterial infection.

Does health care associated pneumonia really exist?

The most recent ATS guidelines for nosocomial pneumonia of 2005 describe a new clinical category of patients, Health Care-Associated Pneumonia which includes a number of very heterogeneous conditions possibly associated with a high risk of multi-drug resistant (MDR) infections and of mortality. This paper aims at reviewing the current literature on HCAP and examines the controversial issues of HCAP etiology and outcomes, underlining the need of a profound revision of the HCAP concept in the face of the poor and contrasting scientific evidence supporting its basis.

Antimicrobial drug-resistant microbes associated with hospitalized community-acquired and healthcare-associated pneumonia: a multi-center study in Taiwan

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP) may be caused by potential antimicrobial drug-resistant (PADR) microbes. The aims of this study were to evaluate the incidences and risk factors associated with PADR microbes observed in patients with pneumonia occurring outside the hospital setting in Taiwan.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective study of patients with CAP or HCAP admitted to six medical centers in the northern, central, and southern regions of Taiwan in 2007. The pathogens were evaluated by microbiological specimens within 72 hours after admission. The patients' comorbidities, pathogens, and outcomes were evaluated. The risk factors of PADR microbes were identified by logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

The enrolled patients exhibited HCAP (n=713) and CAP (n=933). The pathogens associated with HCAP (n=383) and CAP (n=441) included Pseudomonas spp. (29%vs. 10%, p<0.001), Klebsiella spp. (24% vs. 25%, p=0.250), Escherichia coli (6% vs. 8%, p=0.369), Haemophilus influnezae (3% vs. 7%, p=0.041), Streptococcus pneumoniae (2% vs. 6%, p=0.003) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (8% vs. 4%, p=0.008). The core pathogens of CAP and HCAP differed among the three regions of Taiwan. PADR microbes, including Pseudomonas spp. (n=191), Acinetobacter spp. (n=41), MRSA (n=49) and cefotaxime- or ceftazidime-resistant Enterbacteriaceae (n=25), were isolated from 13% of patients with CAP and 23% of patients with HCAP. Previous hospitalization, and neoplastic and neurological diseases were significant risk factors for acquiring PADR microbes.

CONCLUSION

PADR microbes were common in patients with HCAP and CAP in Taiwan. Broad-spectrum antibiotics targeting PADR microbes should be administered to patients who have undergone previous hospitalization and who exhibit neurological disorders and/or malignancies.

Diagnostic use of serum procalcitonin levels in pulmonary aspiration syndromes

OBJECTIVE

To assess the predictive accuracy of serum procalcitonin in distinguishing bacterial aspiration pneumonia from aspiration pneumonitis.

DESIGN

Prospective observational study.

SETTING

Intensive care unit of a university-affiliated hospital.

PATIENTS

Sixty-five consecutive patients admitted with pulmonary aspiration and seven control subjects intubated for airway protection.

INTERVENTIONS

None.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Quantitative cultures from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were conducted on all participants at the time of admission. Serial serum procalcitonin levels were measured on day 1 and day 3 using the procalcitonin enzyme-linked fluorescent assay. There were no differences in the median serum concentrations of procalcitonin between patients with positive bronchoalveolar lavage cultures (n = 32) and patients with negative bronchoalveolar lavage cultures (n = 33) on either day 1 or day 3 postadmission. The areas under the receiver operator characteristic curves were 0.59 (95% confidence interval, 0.47-0.72) and 0.63 (95% confidence interval, 0.5-0.75), respectively (p = .74). However, duration of mechanical ventilation and antibiotic therapy were shorter in those who had a decrease in their procalcitonin levels on day 3 from baseline compared with those who did not (6.7 ± 7.1 days and 11.1 ± 13.5 days, p = .03; and 8.2 ± 2.6 days vs. 12.8 ± 4.6 days; p < .001, respectively). Hospital mortality was associated with radiographic multilobar disease (adjusted odds ratio, 1.14; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-1.31; p = .04) and increasing procalcitonin levels (adjusted odds ratio, 5.63; 95% confidence interval, 1.56-20.29; p = .008).

CONCLUSION

Serum procalcitonin levels had poor diagnostic value in separating bacterial aspiration pneumonia from aspiration pneumonitis based on quantitative bronchoalveolar lavage culture. However, serial measurements of serum procalcitonin may be helpful in predicting survival from pulmonary aspiration.

Pneumonia in the long-term resident

Pneumonia in the long-term resident is common. It is associated with high morbidity and mortality. However, diagnosis and management of pneumonia in long-term care residents is challenging. This article provides an overview of the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnostic challenges, and management recommendations for pneumonia in this setting.

Time-related increase of staphylococci, Enterobacteriaceae and yeasts in the oral cavities of comatose patients

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

The composition of oral microbiota in comatose patients remains uncertain. Some pulmonary pathogens may be found in dental biofilms or as part of the saliva microbiota. It is supposed that some pneumopathogenic microorganisms may overgrow in the mouths of comatose patients and spread to their lungs.

METHODS

The oral colonization dynamics of staphylococci, Enterobacteriaceae and yeasts in nine comatose patients (group 1), and in 12 conscious patients that brushed their teeth at least twice a day (group 2) was evaluated. Both groups were followed up for 7 days after hospitalization. Daily samples of saliva were obtained, dispersed and plated on selective culture media and colony forming units of each microbial group were obtained.

RESULTS

For patients in group 1, the counts of total viable bacteria, staphylococci, Enterobacteriaceae and yeasts progressively increased in a time-dependant manner. For the conscious patients of group 2, there was no increase.

CONCLUSION

It would appear that concomitant consciousness and brushing teeth are determinants in controlling the selected pneumopathogen counts in resting saliva. The increase in microbial counts in comatose patients is understandable because these microorganisms could spread to the lungs.

Nursing home-acquired pneumonia: a review of risk factors and therapeutic approaches

OBJECTIVE

To review the risk factors, etiologic profile, treatment approaches, and guidelines for the management of nursing home-acquired pneumonia (NHAP).

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

A search of the current literature was conducted using the MEDLINE and Embase databases. This search, limited to studies performed in humans and published in English between January 1, 1990 and October 31, 2009, included the terms 'acquired pneumonia', 'associated pneumonia', 'nursing home', 'long-term care', 'institution', and 'healthcare'.

RESULTS

Older age, male gender, swallowing difficulty, and inability to take oral medications are all significant risk factors for pneumonia. Medications such as antipsychotics and anticholinergics, histamine receptor blockers and proton pump inhibitors have also been linked to higher risk of pneumonia. The etiology of NHAP overlaps with that of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), with Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae as predominant pathogens in long-term care facilities. In patients who require hospitalization, Chlamydophila pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, and influenza virus have also been identified. In contrast, the etiology of severe NHAP overlaps with that of hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP), with S. aureus, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and enteric Gram-negative bacilli as important causative pathogens. Therapy is dependent on disease severity and, on the treatment setting. Respiratory fluoroquinolones or β-lactams plus a macrolide are recommended in patients with NHAP. Patients hospitalized with severe NHAP may require triple combination therapy that covers both MRSA and P. aeruginosa. However, there is little evidence of the clinical superiority of one regimen over another, making it challenging to establish guidelines for the treatment of NHAP in the nursing home setting.

CONCLUSION

There is a pressing need for clinical trials of antibiotic therapy in nursing home patients that would help establish uniform guidelines to standardize therapy in the nursing home setting.

Disparities of care for African-Americans and Caucasians with community-acquired pneumonia: a retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

African-Americans admitted to U.S. hospitals with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) are more likely than Caucasians to experience prolonged hospital length of stay (LOS), possibly due to either differential treatment decisions or patient characteristics.

METHODS

We assessed associations between race and outcomes (Intensive Care Unit [ICU] variables, LOS, 30-day mortality) for African-American or Caucasian patients over 65 years hospitalized in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) with CAP (2002-2007). Patients admitted to the ICU were analyzed separately from those not admitted to the ICU. VHA patients who died within 30 days of discharge were excluded from all LOS analyses. We used chi-square and Fisher's exact statistics to compare dichotomous variables, the Wilcoxon Rank Sum test to compare age by race, and Cox Proportional Hazards Regression to analyze hospital LOS. We used separate generalized linear mixed-effect models, with admitting hospital as a random effect, to examine associations between patient race and the receipt of guideline-concordant antibiotics, ICU admission, use of mechanical ventilation, use of vasopressors, LOS, and 30-day mortality. We defined statistical significance as a two-tailed p

RESULTS

Of 40,878 patients, African-Americans (n = 4,936) were less likely to be married and more likely to have a substance use disorder, neoplastic disease, renal disease, or diabetes compared to Caucasians. African-Americans and Caucasians were equally likely to receive guideline-concordant antibiotics (92% versus 93%, adjusted OR = 0.99; 95% CI = 0.81 to 1.20) and experienced similar 30-day mortality when treated in medical wards (adjusted OR = 0.98; 95% CI = 0.87 to 1.10). African-Americans had a shorter adjusted hospital LOS (adjusted HR = 0.95; 95% CI = 0.92 to 0.98). When admitted to the ICU, African Americans were as likely as Caucasians to receive guideline-concordant antibiotics (76% versus 78%, adjusted OR = 0.99; 95% CI = 0.81 to 1.20), but experienced lower 30-day mortality (adjusted OR = 0.82; 95% CI = 0.68 to 0.99) and shorter hospital LOS (adjusted HR = 0.84; 95% CI = 0.76 to 0.93).

CONCLUSIONS

Elderly African-American CAP patients experienced a survival advantage (i.e., lower 30-day mortality) in the ICU compared to Caucasians and shorter hospital LOS in both medical wards and ICUs, after adjusting for numerous baseline differences in patient characteristics. There were no racial differences in receipt of guideline-concordant antibiotic therapies.

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Key Words Collapse

MESH Headings

• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Black People/statistics & numerical data
• Cohort Studies
• Community-Acquired Infections/ethnology
• Community-Acquired Infections/therapy
• Female
• Healthcare Disparities/statistics & numerical data
• Hospitals, Veterans
• Humans
• Intensive Care Units/statistics & numerical data
• Length of Stay/statistics & numerical data
• Male
• Pneumonia/ethnology
• Pneumonia/mortality
• Pneumonia/therapy
• Respiration, Artificial/statistics & numerical data
• Retrospective Studies
• United States/epidemiology
• Vasoconstrictor Agents/therapeutic use
• White People/statistics & numerical data
• Black or African American

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Grants

• UL1 TR000149 NCATS NIH HHS
• KL2 RR025766 NCRR NIH HHS
• R01NR010828 NINR NIH HHS
• KL2 TR000118 NCATS NIH HHS
• UL1 RR025767 NCRR NIH HHS

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Affiliation(s)

Christopher R Frei The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy, 1 University Station, A1900, Austin, TX 78712, USA The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
Eric M Mortensen The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA South Texas Veterans Health Care System, Audie L. Murphy Division, 7400 Merton Minter Blvd, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA VERDICT Research Program, South Texas Veterans Health Care System, 7400 Merton Minter Blvd, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
Laurel A Copeland The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA South Texas Veterans Health Care System, Audie L. Murphy Division, 7400 Merton Minter Blvd, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA VERDICT Research Program, South Texas Veterans Health Care System, 7400 Merton Minter Blvd, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
Russell T Attridge The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy, 1 University Station, A1900, Austin, TX 78712, USA The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
Mary Jo V Pugh The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA South Texas Veterans Health Care System, Audie L. Murphy Division, 7400 Merton Minter Blvd, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA VERDICT Research Program, South Texas Veterans Health Care System, 7400 Merton Minter Blvd, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
Marcos I Restrepo The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA South Texas Veterans Health Care System, Audie L. Murphy Division, 7400 Merton Minter Blvd, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA VERDICT Research Program, South Texas Veterans Health Care System, 7400 Merton Minter Blvd, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
Antonio Anzueto The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA South Texas Veterans Health Care System, Audie L. Murphy Division, 7400 Merton Minter Blvd, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
Brandy Nakashima The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA South Texas Veterans Health Care System, Audie L. Murphy Division, 7400 Merton Minter Blvd, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA VERDICT Research Program, South Texas Veterans Health Care System, 7400 Merton Minter Blvd, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
Michael J Fine Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System, 7180 Highland Drive (151C-H), Pittsburgh, PA 15206, USA Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, 200 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA

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Rethinking the concepts of community-acquired and health-care-associated pneumonia

The increasing numbers of patients who are elderly and severely disabled has led to the introduction of a new category of pneumonia management: health-care-associated pneumonia (HCAP). An analysis of the available evidence in support of this category, however, reveals heterogeneous and misleading definitions of HCAP, reliance on microbiological data of questionable validity, failure to recognise the contribution of aspiration pneumonia, failure to control microbial patterns for functional status, and failure to recognise frequently applied restrictions of treatment escalation as bias in assessing outcomes. As a result, the concept of HCAP contributes to confusion more than it provides a guide to pneumonia management, and it potentially leads to overtreatment. We suggest a reassignment of the criteria for HCAP to reconstruct the triad of community-acquired pneumonia (with a recognised core group of elderly and disabled patients and a subgroup of younger patients), hospital-acquired pneumonia, and pneumonia in immunosuppressed patients.

Pneumonia

Hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) is usually caused by bacterial, viral, or fungal pathogens that occur ≥48 h after hospital admission.^1,2 Overall, more than 80% of HAP episodes are related to invasive airway management (in patients with endotracheal intubation or tracheostomy) with mechanical ventilation, which is known as ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).³ VAP is defined as pneumonia developing more than 48 h after intubation and mechanical ventilation. Healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP) is part of the continuum of pneumonia, which includes patients who were hospitalized in an acute-care hospital for ≥2 days within 90 days of the infection; resided in a long-term care facility; received recent intravenous antibiotic therapy, chemotherapy, or wound care within the past 30 days of the current infection; or attended a hospital or hemodialysis clinic.^1,2 Although this document focuses more on HAP and VAP, many of the principles are also relevant to the management of HCAP. HAP, VAP, and HCAP are the second most common nosocomial infections after urinary tract infection, but are the leading causes of mortality due to hospital-acquired infections.^4,5

[Swallowing disorders, pneumonia and respiratory tract infectious disease in the elderly]

Swallowing disorders (or dysphagia) are common in the elderly and their prevalence is often underestimated. They may result in serious complications including dehydration, malnutrition, airway obstruction, aspiration pneumonia (infectious process) or pneumonitis (chemical injury caused by the inhalation of sterile gastric contents). Moreover the repercussions of dysphagia are not only physical but also emotional and social, leading to depression, altered quality of life, and social isolation. While some changes in swallowing may be a natural result of aging, dysphagia in the elderly is mainly due to central nervous system diseases such as stroke, parkinsonism, dementia, medications, local oral and oesophageal factors. To be effective, management requires a multidisciplinary team approach and a careful assessment of the patient's oropharyngeal anatomy and physiology, medical and nutritional status, cognition, language and behaviour. Clinical evaluation can be completed by a videofluoroscopic study which enables observation of bolus movement and movements of the oral cavity, pharynx and larynx throughout the swallow. The treatment depends on the underlying cause, extent of dysphagia and prognosis. Various categories of treatment are available, including compensatory strategies (postural changes and dietary modification), direct or indirect therapy techniques (swallow manoeuvres, medication and surgical procedures).

Healthcare-associated pneumonia: principles and emerging concepts on management

Healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP) is a relatively new entity that includes pneumonia occurring in healthcare settings other than acute-care hospitals. Many patients with HCAP are at greater risk for colonization and infection with multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Gram-negative bacilli-producing extended-spectrum beta-lactamases and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Infections with these MDR pathogens require different empiric antibiotic therapy. To avoid initiation of inappropriate antibiotic therapy that may result in poorer patient outcomes, new principles for HCAP management were outlined in the 2005 American Thoracic Society and Infectious Diseases Society of America guidelines. These guidelines were suggested for patients assessed in acute-care hospitals and clinics, and may not be applicable for all patients with suspected HCAP in nursing homes and other long-term care settings. This review article addresses HCAP management strategies in both clinical settings.

Diagnostic yield of quantitative endotracheal aspirates in patients with severe nursing home-acquired pneumonia

Introduction

Diagnostic strategies based on tracheal aspirates in patients with severe nursing home-acquired pneumonia have not previously been evaluated. The objectives of the study were to investigate, in patients with severe nursing home-acquired pneumonia, the diagnostic value of quantitative endotracheal aspirate (QEA) cultures using increasing interpretative cutoff points, as compared with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and protected specimen brush (PSB) quantitative cultures.

Methods

Seventy-five nursing home patients requiring mechanical ventilation for suspected pneumonia were studied. Endotracheal aspirate, PSB, and BAL samples were obtained consecutively. The diagnostic yield of QEA at thresholds raging from 10³ to 10⁷ colony-forming units (cfu)/ml was assessed by calculating sensitivities, specificities, and accuracy rates. A receiver operator characteristic curve for the series of cutoff points was constructed.

Results

Forty-nine patients were diagnosed with pneumonia either by BAL (≤ 10⁴ cfu/ml) or PSB (≤ 10³ cfu/ml). Diagnostic accuracy of QEA was most favorable at 10⁴ cfu/ml. At this threshold, endotracheal aspirates coincided with both BAL and PSB in 30 cases, whereas partial agreement was observed in 14 cases. This resulted in sensitivity and specificity of 90% (95% confidence interval 78% to 97%) and 77% (95% confidence interval 56% to 91%), respectively. QEA findings correlated significantly with both PSB and BAL quantitative cultures (r = 0.71 [P < 0.001] and r = 0.77 [P < 0.001], respectively).

Conclusion

QEA may be used as a diagnostic tool to determine the presence of pneumonia in ventilated patients admitted from nursing homes when bronchoscopic procedures are not feasible or available.

Treatment failure in community-acquired pneumonia

Treatment failure (TF) is defined as a clinical condition with inadequate response to antimicrobial therapy. Clinical response should be evaluated within the first 72 h of treatment, whereas infiltrate images may take up to 6 weeks to resolve. Early failure is considered when ventilatory support and/or septic shock appear within the first 72 h. The incidence of treatment failure in community-acquired pneumonia is 10 to 15%, and the mortality is increased nearly fivefold. Resistant and unusual microorganisms and noninfectious causes are responsible for TF. Risk factors are related to the initial severity of the disease, the presence of comorbidity, the microorganism involved, and the antimicrobial treatment implemented. Characteristics of patients and factors related to inflammatory response have been associated with delayed resolution and poor prognosis. The diagnostic approach to TF depends on the degree of clinical impact, host factors, and the possible cause. Initial reevaluation should include a confirmation of the diagnosis of pneumonia, noninvasive microbiological samples, and new radiographic studies. A conservative approach of clinical monitoring and serial radiographs may be recommended in elderly patients with comorbid conditions that justify a delayed response. Invasive studies with bronchoscopy to obtain protected brush specimen and BAL are indicated in the presence of clinical deterioration or failure to stabilize. BAL processing should include the study of cell patterns to rule out other noninfectious diseases and complete microbiological studies. The diagnostic yield of imaging procedures with noninvasive and invasive samples is up to 70%. After obtaining microbiological samples, an empirical change in antibiotic therapy is required to cover a wider microbial spectrum.