Veronica Brito

Healthcare-associated pneumonia is a heterogeneous disease, and all patients do not need the same broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy as complex nosocomial pneumonia.

Purpose of review Healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP) develops in patients who have recently had contact with nosocomial and drug-resistant pathogens, because of a history of hospitalization in the past 90 days, need for hemodialysis or home wound care, or residence in a nursing home. HCAP was included in the 2005 American Thoracic Society/Infectious Diseases Society of America guidelines for nosocomial pneumonia, with the recommendation that all such patients receive empiric therapy with a multidrug regimen directed against drug-resistant organisms. The purpose of this review was to examine articles published since the guidelines were developed to see whether this therapy recommendation is correct. Methods All articles published since July 2004 were identified using PubMed and the key words HCAP, nursing home-acquired pneumonia, and antibiotic therapy. The search was limited to adults, with a focus on clinical trials, reviews, meta-analyses, or practice guidelines. Recent findings We identified eight unique studies of HCAP, which were either prospective or retrospective series, with bacteriologic data on both Gram-negative and Gram-positive organisms. We also examined three prospective, randomized therapy trials of nursing home-acquired pneumonia that included limited bacteriologic data. We found that patients with HCAP were a heterogeneous group, with some at risk for multidrug-resistant organisms, and others not, and this accounted for the observation that many patients were successfully treated with monotherapy regimens or with regimens used for patients with community-acquired pneumonia. Patients at risk for multidrug-resistant pathogens were those with severe illness or those with other risk factors including: hospitalization in the past 90 days, antibiotic therapy in the past 6 months, poor functional status as defined by activities of daily living score, and immune suppression. Conclusion On the basis of the risk factors identified in recent studies, we developed an algorithm for empiric therapy of HCAP, which suggests that not all such patients require a broad-spectrum multidrug regimen in order to achieve appropriate and effective therapy. This algorithm needs validation in future studies.

A New Strategy for Healthcare-Associated Pneumonia: A 2-Year Prospective Multicenter Cohort Study Using Risk Factors for Multidrug-Resistant Pathogens to Select Initial Empiric Therapy

BACKGROUND Optimal empiric therapy for hospitalized patients with healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP) is uncertain. METHODS We prospectively applied a therapeutic algorithm, based on the presence of risk factors for multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens in a multicenter cohort study of 445 pneumonia patients, including both community-acquired pneumonia (CAP; n = 124) and HCAP (n = 321). RESULTS MDR pathogens were more common (15.3% vs 0.8%, P < .001) in HCAP patients than in CAP patients, including Staphylococcus aureus (11.5% vs 0.8%, P < .001); methicillin-resistant S. aureus (6.9% vs 0%, P = .003); Enterobacteriaceae (7.8% vs 2.4%, P = .037); and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (6.9% vs 0.8%, P = .01). Using the proposed algorithm, HCAP patients with ≥2 MDR risk factors, one of which was severity of illness (n = 170), vs HCAP patients with 0-1 risk factor (n = 151) had a significantly higher frequency of MDR pathogens (27.1% vs 2%, P < .001). In total, 93.1% of HCAP patients were treated according to the therapy algorithm, with only 53% receiving broad-spectrum empiric therapy, yet 92.9% received appropriate therapy for the identified pathogen. Thirty-day mortality was significantly higher for HCAP than for CAP (13.7% vs 5.6%, P = .017), but among HCAP patients with 0-1 MDR risk factor, mortality was lower than with ≥2 MDR risk factors (8.6% vs 18.2%, P = .012). In multivariate analysis, initial treatment failure, but not inappropriate empiric antibiotic therapy, was a mortality risk factor (odds ratio, 72.0). CONCLUSIONS Basing empiric HCAP therapy on its severity and the presence of risk factors for MDR pathogens is a potentially useful approach that achieves good outcomes without excessive use of broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION Japan Medical Association Center for Clinical Trials, JMA-IIA00054.

Pneumonia Complicating Pregnancy

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) can affect pregnancy, posing risks to mother and fetus. CAP is the most common fatal nonobstetric infectious complication and a common cause of hospital readmission. Risk factors of pneumonia in pregnancy relate to anatomic and physiologic respiratory changes and immune changes. Aspiration can occur during labor, can cause life-threatening disease, and is more common in cesarean deliveries. Influenza pneumonia can cause severe disease, increasing the risk of preterm delivery, abortion, cesarean section, maternal respiratory failure, and death. CAP treatment requires considering antimicrobial appropriateness and safety, choosing therapy in line with guidelines, but considering maternal and fetal risk.

Postoperative Pulmonary Complications after Laparotomy

Background: The frequency of, and risks for, postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) after laparotomy are incompletely understood. The wide-ranging incidence of PPCs in the literature reflects methodological issues including variable definitions of PPCs and varied patient populations. Objectives: We sought to elucidate the incidence of PPCs after laparotomy and clarify risks for their development. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of all laparotomies in adult patients on the general surgery service at our university-affiliated hospital in 2004. The definition of PPCs was rigorous and relevant in terms of key outcomes (morbidity, mortality, length of stay). We used a template for the review of medical records to identify PPCs and their consequences. Results: Twenty-five PPCs (7.0%) occurred in 359 laparotomies. Logistic regression modeling identified the following independent predictors of risk: upper abdominal incisions (OR 15.3; p = 0.025), reoperation (OR 7.1; p = 0.013), emergency surgery (OR 6.3; p = 0.001) and nasogastric tubes (OR 5.4; p = 0.008). PPCs were associated with increased mortality (OR 6.17; p = 0.01), intensive care unit care (OR 13.0; p = 0.001), increased mean hospital length of stay (17.7 days longer; p = 0.001) and longer mean postoperative length of stay (15.2 days longer; p = 0.001). Conclusions: The incidence of PPCs after laparotomy in this study is lower than in many prior reports and reflects the relevant definition of PPCs used. Upper abdominal surgery carried the greatest risk. Reoperation was a risk not identified previously. Emergency procedures and the use of nasogastric tubes were confirmed as key risks. Morbidity, mortality and lengths of stay were significantly increased after PPCs.

Predicting mortality in the elderly with community-acquired pneumonia: should we design a new car or set a new ‘speed limit’?

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a common illness associated with increasing mortality rates that parallel the site of care. While outpatients have a risk of dying of <5%, those in hospital have a mortality rate of 12% and those managed in the ICU can have a chance of dying that exceeds 30%.1 In addition, delayed recognition of severe illness can add to mortality, with those admitted to the ICU late in the course of disease having a higher mortality than those admitted early.2 Thus, patient outcome is dependent on making an accurate assessment about where patients should be initially managed and the intensity of care that they should receive. To this end, a number of prognostic scoring systems have been developed for patients with CAP that can predict the mortality risk, which is then often applied as a surrogate for deciding the initial site of care.1 3 4 Unfortunately, the risk of death is not always correlated with the need for a high level of care including need for ICU admission. In fact, patients who are young and otherwise healthy may benefit from ICU admission yet have a much lower predicted mortality risk than older patients with multiple medical comorbidities who may benefit little from admission to a hospital unit that provides a high level of care. Accurate definition of the site of care not only impacts mortality, but also the cost of care which rises incrementally from outpatient to inpatient to ICU management. The most commonly used tools for predicting mortality—the CURB-65 (confusion, elevated blood urea nitrogen, elevated respiratory rate, low blood pressure and age >65 years), derived from the British Thoracic Society rule,5 and the Pneumonia Severity Index (PSI)1—predict mortality by giving a point …