Diagnostic Value of Endotracheal Aspirates Sonication on Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia Microbiologic Diagnosis

The Clinical Pulmonary Infection Score Combined with Procalcitonin and Lung Ultrasound (CPIS-PLUS), a Good Tool for Ventilator Associated Pneumonia Early Diagnosis in Pediatrics

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is common in Pediatric Intensive Care Units. Although early detection is crucial, current diagnostic methods are not definitive. This study aimed to identify lung ultrasound (LUS) findings and procalcitonin (PCT) values in pediatric patients with VAP to create a new early diagnosis score combined with the Clinical Pulmonary Infection Score (CPIS), the CPIS-PLUS score. Prospective longitudinal and interventional study. Pediatric patients with suspected VAP were included and classified into VAP or non-VAP groups, based on Centers of Disease Control (CDC) criteria for the final diagnosis. A chest-X-ray (CXR), LUS, and blood test were performed within the first 12 h of admission. CPIS score was calculated. A total of 108 patients with VAP suspicion were included, and VAP was finally diagnosed in 51 (47%) patients. CPIS-PLUS showed high accuracy in VAP diagnosis with a sensitivity (Sn) of 80% (95% CI 65-89%) and specificity (Sp) of 73% (95% CI 54-86%). The area under the curve (AUC) resulted in 0.86 for CPIS-PLUS vs. 0.61 for CPIS. In conclusion, this pilot study showed that CPIS-PLUS could be a potential and reliable tool for VAP early diagnosis in pediatric patients. Internal and external validations are needed to confirm the potential value of this score to facilitate VAP diagnosis in pediatric patients.

The efficacy of telavancin in comparison with linezolid on endotracheal tube biofilm in pigs with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia

BACKGROUND

The effect of systemic treatment of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) with telavancin, a semisynthetic lipoglycopeptide with good penetration in vitro biofilms, has not been tested in vivo during mechanical ventilation. This study examined the efficacy of telavancin compared with linezolid against endotracheal tube (ETT) biofilms in a porcine model of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) VAP.

METHODS

VAP was induced in 18 pigs by instilling 107 colony-forming units (CFU/mL) of an MRSA strain susceptible to telavancin and linezolid into each pulmonary lobe. Randomization into three groups was done at pneumonia diagnosis: control (IV glucose 0.5% solution q24); linezolid (10 mg/kg q12) and telavancin groups (22.5 mg/kg q24). After 72 h of MV, data regarding bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), tracheal aspirate (TA), ETT MRSA biofilm load and thickness measured by scanning electron microscopy were obtained.

RESULTS

All 18 pigs completed the study. MRSA was isolated in 100% of ETTs from the control and linezolid groups and in 67% from the telavancin group. Telavancin treatment presented a lower MRSA load compared to the control and linezolid treatments (telavancin median [interquartile range (IQR)] = 1.94 [0.00-5.45], linezolid 3.99 [3.22-4.68] and control 4.93 [4.41-5.15], P = 0.236). Telavancin treatment also resulted in the lowest biofilm thickness according to the SEM (4.04 [2.09-6.00], P < 0.001). We found a positive correlation between ETT and BAL load (rho = 0.511, P = 0.045).

CONCLUSIONS

In our VAP model, systemic telavancin treatment reduced ETT MRSA occurrence, load, and biofilm thickness. Our findings may have a bearing on ICU patients' clinical outcomes.

The Impact of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infection in Adult Cystic Fibrosis Patients-A Single Polish Centre Study

BACKGROUND

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) is one of the most predominant pathogens of lung infections, often causing exacerbations in adult patients with cystic fibrosis (CF).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Microbiological characterization of 74 PA isolates and to evaluate the correlations between the bacterial features and 44 adult Polish CF cohort clinical parameters.

RESULTS

The most common variant in the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene was F508del (76.3%), followed by 3849+10kbC>T (26.3%). A total of 39.4% of the PA isolates showed multiple resistances. In patients with parameters pointing to a decline in lung function, there was a statistically significant moderate correlation with β-lactam resistance and a weak correlation between hospital frequency and colistin resistance. The mucoidity did not correlate with the biofilm formation ability, which showed 41.9% of the isolates. Proteolytic activity, observed in 60.8% of the clinical isolates, was weakly associated with motility detected in 78.4% of the strains. The genetic profiles of the PA were highly heterogeneous, and a weak positive correlation was established between cluster group and biofilm formation.

CONCLUSION

The findings suggest that there is a high variety in P. aeruginosa populations in adult CF patients. There is a need to monitor PA strains in groups of patients with cystic fibrosis, in particular, in terms of the occurrence of antibiotic resistance related to a decline in lung function.

Drug Prevention and Control of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is one of the most prevalent and serious complications of mechanical ventilation, which is considered a common nosocomial infection in critically ill patients. There are some great options for the prevention of VAP: (i) minimize ventilator exposure; (ii) intensive oral care; (iii) aspiration of subglottic secretions; (iv) maintain optimal positioning and encourage mobility; and (v) prophylactic probiotics. Furthermore, clinical management of VAP depends on appropriate antimicrobial therapy, which needs to be selected based on individual patient factors, such as previous antibacterial therapy, history of hospitalization or mechanical ventilation, and bacterial pathogens and antibiotic resistance patterns. In fact, antibiotic resistance has exponentially increased over the last decade, and the isolation of a multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogen has been identified as an independent predictor of inadequate initial antibiotic therapy and which is significantly associated with increased mortality. Multiple attempts were used in the treatment of VAP, such as novel antibacterial agents, inhaled antibiotics and monoclonal antibodies. In this review, we summarize the current therapeutic options for the prevention and treatment of VAP, aiming to better management of VAP in clinical practice.