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. 2023 Nov 8;209(2):164–174. doi: 10.1164/rccm.202305-0901OC

Table 2.

Antimicrobial Treatment Changes in Response to RMg Results

Treatment Change n (%)
Indication for RMg testing N = 128
 CA LRTI 30 (23)
 HA LRTI 80 (63)
  Start of episode 37 (29)
  During episode 43 (34)
 Other* 18 (14)
 Antibiotic prescribing n = 110
  Receiving antibiotics start of RMg test day 89 (81)
  Receiving antibiotics end of RMg test day 98 (89)
 Deescalation, antibiotics stopped with:
  RMg§ 29
   Same day 7 (24)
   Next dayǁ 22 (76)
  Meropenem 15
  Piperacillin–tazobactam 6
  Linezolid 5
  Other 3
 Escalation, antibiotics started with:
  RMg n = 24
   Same day 21 (87)
  Next day** 3 (13)
 Meropenem 10
 Linezolid 4
 Other 10

Definition of abbreviations: CA = community-acquired; HA = hospital-acquired; LRTI = lower respiratory tract infection; RMg = respiratory metagenomics.

*

Includes where the focus of infection was uncertain at time of testing, to exclude respiratory infection preimmunomodulation or after completing therapy for LRTI.

Fifteen patients had antibiotics started or stopped for reasons not linked with the RMg result.

Excludes samples failed at quality control (n = 15) or sent from nonpilot critical care areas (n = 3).

§

Antifungals were stopped in 3 patients in response to RMg results.

ǁ

Two patients had antibiotics stopped on second day after testing.

Antifungals were started for 5 patients in response to RMg results.

**

Three patients had antibiotics started in response to RMg results 2 days after receipt of the result.