Table 1. POCT candidates and their respective characteristics.
| Names | Samples | ID | AST | Delay | Performances | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CRP/PCT | Blood | No | No | <10 min | CRP: Se, 56–88%; Sp, 86–91% (17,18) | No clinical data for use in VAP |
| PCT: Se, 78–100%; Sp, 75–97% (16) | ||||||
| Accelerate PhenoTM | ETA | Yes | Yes | 10.2 (range, 8.3–11.5) h (29) | Se, 100%; Sp, 97% (31) | Not officially available for POCT use |
| LightCycler 2.0 SeptiFastTM (37) | BAL | Yes | No | N/A | 82% identification (vs. 35% for culture) | Not officially available for POCT use |
| Clavel et al. (custom technique) (38) | BAL, ETA | Yes | No | 2.5 h (BAL), 3.25 h (ETA) | BAL: Se, 89.2%; Sp, 97.1% | Automation could allow POCT use, quantitative analysis available |
| ETA: Se, 71.8%; Sp, 96.6% | ||||||
| CuretisUnyveroTM P50 | ETA | Yes | Yes | 6.5 (range, 4.7–18.3) h (41) | More sensitive than cultures, 45% to 70% agreement (36,41) | 40% reported partial or complete test failure in POCT use (41) |
| MinIONTM (39) | Mini-BAL | Yes | Yes | ID, 9 h; AST, 48 h | N/A (100% agreement for n=2) | Not limited by primers, limited available data |
| VOCs analysis (49) | Exhaled gases | Yes | No | <60 min | Se, 75.8%±13.8%; Sp, 73.0%±11.8% | No invasive sample collection |
| β-LACTA™ | Blood, ETA | No | Yes | 30 to 120 min (52,56) | Se, 80–95%; Sp, 71–100% | Using respiratory samples requires preparation and bacterial growth |
ID, pathogen identification; AST, antibiotics susceptibility test; CRP, C-reactive protein; PCT, procalcitonin; ETA, endotracheal aspirates; BAL, broncho-alveolar lavage; Se, sensitivity; Sp, specificity; VOCs, volatile organic compounds; N/A, not available.