Table 2.
Clinical characteristics of the 93 suspected ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) episodes
| Characteristic | Episodes |
|---|---|
| MV duration before VAP, days | 9 (4–20) |
| Prior antimicrobial treatment | 75 (81) |
| Broad-spectrum antimicrobials | 52 (56) |
| Parameters at VAP onset | |
| Temperature, °C | 37.2 (36.1–38.2) |
| White blood cell count, Giga/L | 15.5 (10.3–23.1) |
| Neutrophil count, Giga/L | 13.1 (8.1–19.1) |
| PaO2/FiO2 ratio, mmHg | 130 (84–179) |
| mCPIS | 5 (4–7) |
| Pathogen responsible for VAPa | |
| Pseudomonas aeruginosa | 46 (49) |
| Other non-fermenting GNB | 9 (10) |
| Enterobacteriaceae | 53 (57) |
| Escherichia coli | 17 (18) |
| Enterobacter spp. | 1 (1) |
| Klebsiella pneumoniae | 12 (13) |
| Klebsiella oxytoca | 2 (2) |
| Klebsiella variicola | 1 (1) |
| Proteus mirabilis | 6 (6) |
| Morganella morganii | 1 (1) |
| Serratia marcescens | 1 (1) |
| Citrobacter freundii | 1 (1) |
| Proteus vulgaris | 1 (1) |
| Staphylococcus aureus | 4 (4) |
| Haemophilus influenzae | 3 (3) |
| Enterococcus spp. | 2 (2) |
| Polymicrobial oropharyngeal flora | 3 (3) |
| Miscellaneousb | 3 (3) |
| Negative BAL | 2 (2) |
| Positive blood culture | 5 (5) |
| Days of antimicrobial treatment | 8 (6–8) |
Results are expressed as median (IQR) or n (%)
MV mechanical ventilation, VAP ventilator-associated pneumonia, mCPIS Modified Clinical Pulmonary Infection Score [14], BALF bronchoalveolar lavage fluid
aAccording to conventional microbiological cultures; the total number of pathogens exceeds 93 because 27 patients had at least two pathogens responsible for VAP
bAchromobacter xylosoxidans, Kluyvera ascorbata or Raoultella ornithinolytica, one each