![]() It is especially important to manage mechanically ventilated patients as appropriately as possible in the time of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19. Even though the tracheal aspirate culture method lacks accuracy in diagnosing VAP, clinicians are left with little choice but to use it given that other diagnostic methods are limited and other specimen types are more difficult to obtain. This overuse has been correlated with the emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant organisms in the ICUs of both adult and pediatric institutions. Ultimately, presumed VAP results in high resource utilization and is the most common reason for empiric antibiotic use in the ICU. Diagnostic uncertainty leads providers to empirically treat for VAP, regardless of whether the patient is confirmed to have it or not. Of the 3, tracheal aspirate specimens are easier (and potentially safer) to collect, but they have low diagnostic specificity for VAP and rarely distinguish between colonizing microbiota and microbiota causing infection. The serious consequences of this disease demand quick and accurate diagnostic testing, yet no gold standard exists.Ĭriteria provided by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommend 3 diagnostic methods for VAP: bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), lung biopsy and tracheal aspirate. VAP is the second-most common hospital-acquired infection in intensive care units (ICUs), and the most common cause of nosocomial infection leading to death in critically ill patients. ![]() Mechanical ventilation is a life-saving measure used on thousands of patients in the United States each year, but patients that receive this intervention are at an increased risk of developing a severe condition called ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). ![]()
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