Table 2.
Biological criteria and microbiological diagnostic procedures used in ventilator-associated lower respiratory tract infection diagnosis in COPD and non-COPD patients.
| COPD n = 125 |
No COPD N = 564 |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VAT n = 64 |
VAP n = 61 |
p | VAT n = 256 |
VAP n = 308 |
p | |
| CRP | 69 (9–201) | 129 (17–230) | 0.374 | 126 (51–211) | 120 (30–239) | 0.78 |
| PCT | 0.1 (0.0–1.7) | 0.8 (0.0–3.8) | 0.219 | 0.1 (0.0–1.0) | 0.4 (0.0–5.0) | <0.001 |
| CPIS | 5 (3–6) | 6 (5–8) | <0.001 | 4 (3–6) | 7 (5–8) | <0.001 |
| Endotracheal aspirate | 52 (81) | 41 (67) | 0.072 | 226 (88) | 212 (69) | <0.001 |
| Bronchoscopy | 7 (11) * | 15 (25) * | 0.045 | 10 (4) | 41 (13) | <0.001 |
| Bronchoalveolar lavage | 6 (9) ** | 15 (25) ** | 0.023 | 6 (2) | 44 (14) | <0.001 |
| Mini bronchoalveolar lavage | 5 (8) | 4 (7) | 0.786 | 11 (4) | 41 (13) | <0.001 |
| Blind protected specimen brush | 8 (13) | 12 (20) | 0.274 | 24 (9) | 39 (13) | 0.22 |
Data are presented as number (%) or median (interquartile range). COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; VAP, ventilator-associated pneumonia; VAT, ventilator-associated tracheobronchitis; CRP, C-reactive protein; PCT, procalcitonin; CPIS, clinical pulmonary infection score. p values are for comparison between VAT and VAP groups. * p = 0.008 and ** p = 0.005 versus patients with no COPD.