BACKGROUND/AIMS: Whether the causative organism influences the clinical course of pneumonia in the intensive care unit (ICU) is controversial. We assessed the clinical manifestations and prognosis of pneumonia according to the causative pathogens in patients in a medical ICU. METHODS: A retrospective observational study was performed in a medical ICU. Among 242 patients who were admitted to the ICU, 103 who were treated for pneumonia were analyzed. RESULTS: The causative pathogen was identified in 50 patients (49.0%); 22 patients (21.6%) had multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens. The distribution of causative micro-organisms was Staphylococcus aureus (20%), Pseudomonas species (16%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (14%), and Acinetobacter baumannii (12%). No significant difference in ICU mortality rate, duration of ICU stay, duration of mechanical ventilation, or frequencies of re-intubation and tracheostomy were detected based on the identification of any pathogen. In sub-analyses according to the pneumonia classification, the number of pathogens identified did not differ between pneumonia types, and a higher incidence of identified MDR pathogens was detected in the hospital-acquired pneumonia group than in the community-acquired or healthcare- acquired pneumonia groups. However, the clinical outcomes of pneumonia according to identification status and type of pathogen did not differ significantly between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Neither the causative micro-organism nor the existence of MDR pathogens in critically ill patients with pneumonia was associated with the clinical outcome of pneumonia, including ICU mortality. This result was consistent regardless of the pneumonia classification.
Acinetobacter Infections/diagnosis/*microbiology/mortality/therapy ; Aged ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use ; Critical Illness ; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial ; Female ; Hospital Mortality ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Klebsiella Infections/diagnosis/*microbiology/mortality/therapy ; Length of Stay ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pneumonia, Bacterial/diagnosis/*microbiology/mortality/therapy ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Pseudomonas Infections/diagnosis/*microbiology/mortality/therapy ; Respiration, Artificial ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Staphylococcal Infections/diagnosis/*microbiology/mortality/therapy ; Time Factors ; Tracheostomy ; Treatment Outcome

PURPOSE: Patients with nursing home-acquired pneumonia (NHAP) should be treated as hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) according to guidelines published in 2005. However, controversy still exists on whether the high mortality of NHAP results from multidrug resistant pathogens or underlying disease. We aimed to outline differences and factors contributing to mortality between NHAP and community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated patients aged 65 years or older with either CAP or NHAP from 2008 to 2014. Patients with healthcare-associated pneumonia other than NHAP or HAP were excluded. RESULTS: Among 317 patients, 212 patients had CAP and 105 had NHAP. Patients with NHAP had higher mortality, more frequently used a ventilator, and had disease of higher severity than CAP. The incidences of aspiration, tube feeding, and poor functional status were higher in NHAP. Twenty three out of 54 NHAP patients and three out of 62 CAP patients had multidrug resistant pathogens (p<0.001). Eleven patients with NHAP died at discharge, compared to 7 patients with CAP (p=0.009). However, there was no association between mortality rate and presence of multidrug-resistant pathogens. The number of involved lobes on chest X-ray [odds ratio (OR)=1.708; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.120 to 2.605] and use of mechanical ventilation (OR=9.537; 95% CI, 1.635 to 55.632) were significantly associated with in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSION: Patients with NHAP had higher mortality than patients with CAP. The excess mortality among patients with NHAP and CAP was related to disease severity but not to the presence of multidrug resistant pathogens.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/*therapeutic use ; Community-Acquired Infections/drug therapy/microbiology/mortality ; Cross Infection/drug therapy/*mortality ; *Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial ; Female ; *Hospital Mortality ; Humans ; Male ; *Nursing Homes ; Odds Ratio ; Pneumonia, Bacterial/drug therapy/microbiology/*mortality ; Retrospective Studies

BACKGROUNDHealthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP) is associated with drug-resistant pathogens and high mortality, and there is no clear evidence that this is due to inappropriate antibiotic therapy. This study was to elucidate the clinical features, pathogens, therapy, and outcomes of HCAP, and to clarify the risk factors for drug-resistant pathogens and prognosis.

METHODSRetrospective observational study among hospitalized patients with HCAP over 10 years. The primary outcome was 30-day all-cause hospital mortality after admission. Demographics (age, gender, clinical features, and comorbidities), dates of admission, discharge and/or death, hospitalization costs, microbiological results, chest imaging studies, and CURB-65 were analyzed. Antibiotics, admission to Intensive Care Unit (ICU), mechanical ventilation, and pneumonia prognosis were recorded. Patients were dichotomized based on CURB-65 (low- vs. high-risk).

RESULTSAmong 612 patients (mean age of 70.7 years), 88.4% had at least one comorbidity. Commonly detected pathogens were Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and coagulase-negative staphylococci. Initial monotherapy with β-lactam antibiotics was the most common initial therapy (50%). Mean age, length of stay, hospitalization expenses, ICU admission, mechanical ventilation use, malignancies, and detection rate for P. aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus were higher in the high-risk group compared with the low-risk group. CURB-65 ≥3, malignancies, and mechanical ventilation were associated with an increased mortality. Logistic regression analysis showed that cerebrovascular diseases and being bedridden were independent risk factors for HCAP.

CONCLUSIONInitial treatment of HCAP with broad-spectrum antibiotics could be an appropriate approach. CURB-65 ≥3, malignancies, and mechanical ventilation may result in an increased mortality.

Acinetobacter baumannii ; pathogenicity ; Aged ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; therapeutic use ; Community-Acquired Infections ; drug therapy ; microbiology ; pathology ; Female ; Hospital Mortality ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pneumonia ; drug therapy ; microbiology ; pathology ; Pseudomonas aeruginosa ; pathogenicity ; Retrospective Studies ; Staphylococcus aureus ; pathogenicity

BACKGROUNDAppropriate antimicrobial therapy of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is mainly based on the distribution of etiology and antimicrobial resistance of major pathogens. We performed a prospective observational study of adult with CAP in 36 hospitals in China.

METHODSEtiological pathogens were isolated in each of the centers, and all of the isolated pathogens were sent to Zhongshan Hospital for antimicrobial susceptibility tests using agar dilution.

RESULTSA total of 593 patients were enrolled in this study, and 242 strains of bacteria were isolated from 225 patients. Streptococcus pneumoniae (79/242, 32.6%) was the most frequently isolated pathogen, followed by Haemophilus influenzae (55/242, 22.7%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (25/242, 10.3%). Totally 527 patients underwent serological tests for atypical pathogens; Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydia pneumoniae infections were identified in 205 (38.9%) and 60 (11.4%) patients respectively. Legionella pneumophila infections were identified in 4.0% (13/324) of patients. The non-susceptibility rate of isolated Streptococcus pneumoniae to erythromycin and penicillin was 63.2% and 19.1% respectively. Six patients died from the disease, the 30-day mortality rate was 1.1% (6/533).

CONCLUSIONSThe top three bacteria responsible for CAP in Chinese adults were Streptococcus pneumonia, Haemophilus influenza and Klebsiella pneumonia. There was also a high prevalence of atypical pathogens and mixed pathogens. The resistance rates of the major isolated pathogens were relatively low except for the high prevalence of macrolide resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Bacteria ; drug effects ; isolation & purification ; pathogenicity ; China ; epidemiology ; Colony Count, Microbial ; Community-Acquired Infections ; drug therapy ; etiology ; microbiology ; mortality ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Middle Aged ; Pneumonia, Bacterial ; drug therapy ; etiology ; microbiology ; mortality ; Prospective Studies

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Nursing home-acquired pneumonia (NHAP) is included under healthcare-associated pneumonia. However, the optimal treatment strategy for NHAP has been controversial in several studies. We evaluated the clinical features of NHAP compared to community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in elderly patients admitted with pneumonia. METHODS: This was a retrospective study in elderly patients aged > or = 65 years with NHAP or CAP who were hospitalized at Jeju National University Hospital between January 2012 and April 2013. RESULTS: A total of 209 patients were enrolled, and 58 (27.7%) had NHAP. The patients with NHAP were older, had more frequent central nervous system disorders, and showed worse clinical parameters. Potential drug-resistant pathogens were more frequently detected in the NHAP group (22.4% vs. 9.9%, p = 0.018), and the incidences of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus were 8.6% and 10.3%, respectively. In-hospital mortality occurred in 13 patients (22.4%) with NHAP and 17 patients (11.2%) with CAP (p = 0.039). In multivariate analyses, only higher pneumonia severity index (PSI) score was associated with increased mortality (p < 0.001), and the PSI score was higher in the NHAP group than that in the CAP group. CONCLUSIONS: Elderly patients admitted with NHAP showed more severe pneumonia at onset, higher rates of potentially drug-resistant pathogens, and worse clinical outcomes than those with CAP. However, higher in-hospital mortality in those with NHAP seemed to be related to the PSI score reflecting host factors and severity of pneumonia rather than the type of pneumonia or the presence of drug-resistant pathogens.
Age Factors ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/*therapeutic use ; Chi-Square Distribution ; Community-Acquired Infections/diagnosis/microbiology/mortality/*therapy ; Cross Infection/diagnosis/microbiology/mortality/*therapy ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; Female ; *Homes for the Aged ; Hospital Mortality ; *Hospitals, Teaching ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Multivariate Analysis ; *Nursing Homes ; Odds Ratio ; *Patient Admission ; Pneumonia, Bacterial/diagnosis/microbiology/mortality/*therapy ; Republic of Korea ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Severity of Illness Index ; Treatment Outcome

BACKGROUND: We estimated the prevalence and clinical impact of heterogeneous vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (hVISA). The concordance between macromethod and glycopeptide resistance detection (GRD) E tests was determined. In addition, predictors of clinical outcomes in hospitalized patients with S. aureus bacteremia (SAB) or pneumonia (SAP) were evaluated. METHODS: We obtained 229 consecutive S. aureus isolates from all hospitalized patients at two university hospitals located in Busan and Yangsan, Korea. Standard, macromethod, and GRD E tests were performed. Additionally, we reviewed the medical records of all patients. Among the 229 patients, predictors of clinical outcomes were analyzed for 107 patients with SAB and 39 with SAP. RESULTS: Among the 229 isolates, 34.5% of S. aureus isolates and 50.7% of methicillin-resistant S. aureus isolates exhibited the hVISA phenotype based on the macromethod E test. hVISA was nearly associated with treatment failure in patients with SAB (P=0.054) and was significantly associated with treatment failure in patients with SAP (P=0.014). However, hVISA was not associated with 30-day mortality in patients with SAB or SAP. The concordance between the macromethod and GRD E tests was 84.2%. CONCLUSIONS: hVISA is quite common in the southeastern part of Korea. hVISA is associated with treatment failure in patients with SAP.
Aged ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/*pharmacology/therapeutic use ; Bacteremia/drug therapy/epidemiology/microbiology ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial/*drug effects ; Female ; Hospital Mortality ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Male ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus/drug effects/isolation & purification ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Middle Aged ; Phenotype ; Pneumonia/drug therapy/epidemiology/microbiology ; Prevalence ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Staphylococcus aureus/*drug effects/isolation & purification ; Teicoplanin/pharmacology ; Vancomycin/pharmacology/*therapeutic use

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Recently, the incidence of nursing home-acquired pneumonia (NHAP) has been increasing and is now the leading cause of death among nursing home residents. This study was performed to identify risk factors associated with NHAP mortality, focusing on facility characteristics. METHODS: Data on all patients > or = 70 years of age admitted with newly diagnosed pneumonia were reviewed. To compare the quality of care in nursing facilities, the following three groups were defined: patients who acquired pneumonia in the community, care homes, and care hospitals. In these patients, 90-day mortality was compared. RESULTS: Survival analyses were performed in 282 patients with pneumonia. In the analyses, 90-day mortality was higher in patients in care homes (12.2%, 40.3%, and 19.6% in community, care homes, and care hospitals, respectively). Among the 118 NHAP patients, residence in a care home, structural lung diseases, treatment with inappropriate antimicrobial agents for accompanying infections, and a high pneumonia severity index score were risk factors associated with higher 90-day mortality. However, infection by potentially drug-resistant pathogens was not important. CONCLUSIONS: Unfavorable institutional factors in care homes are important prognostic factors for NHAP.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use ; Cause of Death ; Cross Infection/diagnosis/drug therapy/microbiology/*mortality ; Female ; *Homes for the Aged ; *Hospitals ; Humans ; Inappropriate Prescribing ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Male ; *Nursing Homes ; Pneumonia, Bacterial/diagnosis/drug therapy/microbiology/*mortality ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Time Factors ; Treatment Outcome

This study investigated predictors associated with 14-day mortality, and focused especially on the impact of appropriate antimicrobial treatment among patients with carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) bacteremia. This retrospective study was performed at a tertiary care hospital in Korea from June 2007 to June 2010. Antibiotic therapy was considered appropriate if the antibiotics were administered via an appropriate route within 24 hr after the result of blood culture, had in vitro sensitivity to isolated strains, and of an adequate dosage according to the current guidelines. Ninety-five patients with A. baumannii bacteremia were included; of these, 53 (55.8%) were infected with CRAB. The overall infection-related 14-day mortality was higher in patients receiving inappropriate antimicrobial therapy than in patients receiving appropriate therapy (59.5% [22/37] vs 13.8% [8/58], P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that septic shock (OR 10.5, 95% CI, 1.93-57.4; P = 0.006), carbapenem-resistance (OR 7.29, 95% CI 1.57-33.8; P = 0.01), pneumonia as a source of bacteremia (OR 5.29, 95% CI 1.07-26.1; P = 0.04), and inappropriate antimicrobial therapy (OR 8.05, 95% CI 1.65-39.2; P = 0.009) were independent risk factors for 14-day mortality. Early definite antimicrobial therapy had an influence on favorable outcomes in patients with A. baumannii bacteremia.
APACHE ; Acinetobacter Infections/drug therapy/microbiology/*mortality ; Acinetobacter baumannii/drug effects/*isolation & purification ; Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/*therapeutic use ; Carbapenems/pharmacology ; Diabetes Complications ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Odds Ratio ; Pneumonia/etiology ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Shock, Septic/etiology ; Survival Rate