Defining Pathogen and Susceptibility Patterns for Early Versus Late Ventilator Associated Pneumonia in Trauma Patients to Guide Empiric Treatment Decisions

• Published in: The American surgeon 2023-11, Vol.89 (11), p.4536-4541
• Main Authors: Alexander, Kaitlin M., Davis, S. Noelle, Butts, C. Caleb, Morgan, John, Croft, Leah K., Lee, Yann-leei L., Kinnard, Christopher M., Polite, Nathan M., Mbaka, Maryann I., Williams, Ashley Y., Barrington, Robert A., Audia, Jonathon P., Simmons, Jon D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0003-1348; 1555-9823
• DOI: 10.1177/00031348221121539

Introduction Studies have demonstrated that trauma patients with early-ventilator associated pneumonia (early-VAP, < 7 days) have decreased risk of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. We hypothesize that routinely using broad-spectrum antibiotics is unnecessary to treat trauma patients with the diagnosis of early-VAP. Methods This retrospective cohort study included adult trauma patients with the diagnosis of VAP. The primary outcome was the presence of MRSA and/or P. aeruginosa in patients with early- and late-VAP. Secondary outcomes included the bacterial susceptibility of pathogens to methicillin, ampicillin/sulbactam, ceftriaxone, piperacillin/tazobactam, and cefepime. Intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital length of stay (LOS), ventilator-free days, and in-hospital mortality were also collected. Results 164 patients met inclusion criteria, and 208 organisms (n = 90 early vs n = 118 late) were identified by respiratory culture. The incidence of MRSA and P. aeruginosa in early-VAP was 7.7% (7/90) and 5.6% (5/90), respectively. The susceptibility of bacteria causing early-VAP to ampicillin/sulbactam and ceftriaxone was 73.3% (66/90) and 83.3% (75/90), respectively. Ventilator-free days at 30 days was similar between groups (P = .649). Patients with late-VAP spent more time in the ICU (P = .040); however, in-hospital mortality was higher in the early-VAP group (P = .012). Conclusions Ampicillin/sulbactam or ceftriaxone monotherapy did not provide reliable broad-spectrum coverage for early-VAP in our cohort. These findings highlight the importance of each institution performing a similar analysis to ensure adequate initial treatment of VAP.