Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of included studies
| Study | Design | Country | Patients MP/SC |
Male, % MP/SC |
Age†, y MP/SC |
CAP , % MP/SC |
Immunosuppression, % MP/SC | Sample Type |
PCR test |
Primary Outcome | Follow-up†, MP/SC days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INHALE WP3 2025 18 | RCT | England | 223/219 | 66/70 | 58/59 | 70/68 | 5/5 | Endotracheal aspirate, sputum, BAL | FilmArray® |
- Superiority in antibiotic stewardship at 24 h - Clinical cure at 14 days. |
28 |
| FLAGSHIP II 2022 19 | RCT | Switzerland | 100/108 | 59/63 | 60/60 | 74/77 | 57/56 | BAL | MAGPIX, RespiFinder-22, Seegene | - Time on inappropriate antibiotics (hours) | 30 |
| Virk 2024 22 | RCT | USA | 563/589 | 62/65 | 62/62 | 19/22 | 40/43 |
Sputum, tracheal secretions, BAL |
FilmArray® | - Median time to first antibiotic modification at 96 h | 30 |
| Poole 2022 21 | RCT | United Kingdom | 100/100 | 68/88 | 58/56 | 42/43 | 7/8 | Endotracheal aspirate, sputum, BAL | FilmArray® | - Proportion of patients receiving therapy guided by PCR results | 60 |
| MULTICAP 2025 20 | RCT | France | 188/197 | 69/71 | 65/67 | 100/100 | 0/0 | Endotracheal aspirate, sputum, BAL | FilmArray® |
- Number of antibiotic-free days |
90 |
†mean or median; BAL: bronchoalveolar lavage CAP: Community-acquired pneumonia; MP: Molecular Panel; NA: not available; PCR: Polymerase Chain Reaction; RCT: randomized controlled trial; SC: Standard Culture; USA: United States of American