Surveillance cultures in healthcare-associated pneumonia: sense or nonsense?

摘要: Purpose of review This explores the usefulness surveillance cultures in healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP). Recent findings The definition HCAP is controversial. Causative micro-organisms resemble those found hospital-acquired (HAP) and ventilator-associated (VAP). Some types have proven useful hospitalized patients. Whereas numerous studies investigated role VAP, one may wonder whether culture implementation should belong management guidelines. Summary Studies exploring obtaining VAP are numerous, but mostly retrospective, observational and/or quasi-experimental nature. Surveillance be for antibiotic guidance, positive predictive value specificity low, obviously negatively impacting on cost effectiveness, especially large population at risk HCAP. On other hand, multidrug-resistance increasing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus vancomycin-resistant enterococci ICU-admitted patients appeared cost-effective. Furthermore, presence multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacilli might guidance. Currently, neither community-acquired pneumonia, HCAP, HAP nor guidelines incorporate cultures. In future, populations able to differentiate from kinds authorize its reason existence.