The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of colonization pressure on intensive care unit (ICU)-acquired multidrug resistant bacteria (MDRB). All patients hospitalized for more than 48 h in the ICU were included in this prospective observational study. MDRB were defined as methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa resistant to ceftazidime or imipenem, Gram-negative bacilli producing extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL), and all strains of Acinetobacter baumannii and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. Colonization pressure was daily calculated in the three participating ICUs. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to determine risk factors for ICU-acquired MDRB. Two hundreds and four (34%) of the 593 included patients acquired an MDRB during their ICU stay. Multivariate analysis identified colonization pressure as an independent risk factor for ICU-acquired MDRB (OR (95% CI) 4.18 (1.03-17.01), p = 0.046). Other independent risk factors for ICU-acquired MDRB were mechanical ventilation (3.08 (1.28-7.38), p = 0.012), and arterial catheter use (OR, 3.04 (1.38-6.68), p = 0.006). ICU-acquired MDRB were associated with increased mortality, duration of mechanical ventilation, and ICU stay. However, ICU-acquired MDRB was not independently associated with ICU-mortality. Colonization pressure is an independent risk factor for acquiring MDRB in the ICU.

Ventilator associated-lower respiratory tract infections (VA-LRTIs), either ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) or tracheobronchitis (VAT), accounts for most nosocomial infections in intensive care units (ICU) including. Our aim was to determine if appropriate antibiotic treatment in patients with VA-LRTI will effectively reduce mortality in patients who had cardiovascular failure. Methods: This was a pre-planned subanalysis of a large prospective cohort of mechanically ventilated patients for at least 48 h in eight countries in two continents. Patients with a modified Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (mSOFA) cardiovascular score of 4 (at the time of VA-LRTI diagnosis and needed be present for at least 12 h) were defined as having cardiovascular failure. Results: VA-LRTI occurred in 689 (23.2%) out of 2960 patients and 174 (25.3%) developed cardiovascular failure. Patients with cardiovascular failure had significantly higher ICU mortality than those without (58% vs. 26.8%; p < 0.001; OR 3.7; 95% CI 2.6-5.4). A propensity score analysis found that the presence of inappropriate antibiotic treatment was an independent risk factor for ICU mortality in patients without cardiovascular failure, but not in those with cardiovascular failure. When the propensity score analysis was conducted in patients with VA-LRTI, the use of appropriate antibiotic treatment conferred a survival benefit for patients without cardiovascular failure who had only VAP. Conclusions: Patients with VA-LRTI and cardiovascular failure did not show an association to a higher ICU survival with appropriate antibiotic treatment. Additionally, we found that in patients without cardiovascular failure, appropriate antibiotic treatment conferred a survival benefit for patients only with VAP.

IntroductionA palliative approach to intensive care unit (ICU) patients with acute respiratory failure and a do-not-intubate order corresponds to a poorly evaluated target for non-invasive oxygenation treatments. Survival alone should not be the only target; it also matters to avoid discomfort and to restore the patient’s quality of life. We aim to conduct a prospective multicentre observational study to analyse clinical practices and their impact on outcomes of palliative high-flow nasal oxygen therapy (HFOT) and non-invasive ventilation (NIV) in ICU patients with do-not-intubate orders.Methods and analysisThis is an investigator-initiated, multicentre prospective observational cohort study comparing the three following strategies of oxygenation: HFOT alone, NIV alternating with HFOT and NIV alternating with standard oxygen in patients admitted in the ICU for acute respiratory failure with a do-not-intubate order. The primary outcome is the hospital survival within 14 days after ICU admission in patients weaned from NIV and HFOT. The sample size was estimated at a minimum of 330 patients divided into three groups according to the oxygenation strategy applied. The analysis takes into account confounding factors by modelling a propensity score.Ethics and disseminationThe study has been approved by the ethics committee and patients will be included after informed consent. The results will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals.Trial registration numberNCT03673631

Background Despite advances in diagnostic methods and antibiotic therapy, community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is still a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Risk of CAP has been attributed to pathogen virulence, host susceptibility and epidemiologic factors. A significant number of patients with CAP develop severe complications, such as sepsis, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) and less fatal conditions (pleuritis, empyema) and syndromes (acute respiratory failure (ARF)). The variable clinical presentation of CAP suggests a genetic predisposition. Materials and methods This study was conducted to establish the possible contribution of functional gene polymorphisms in the oxidative stress related genes to the development of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) complications. CAP subjects (n = 350) were genotyped for 16 polymorphic variants in the genes of xenobiotics detoxification CYP1A1, AhR, GSTM1, GSTT1, ABCB1, redox-status SOD2, CAT, GCLC, and vascular homeostasis ACE, AGT, AGTR1, NOS3, MTHFR, VEGFa. Results The multilocus model which included six or more risk alleles in the CYP1A1, GCLC, AGT and AGTR1 genes was associated with pleuritis, empyema, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), all pulmonary complications together and acute respiratory failure. Genetically mediated correlation between clinical conditions in CAP patients is shown in Table 1. In silico analysis with Set Distiller mode identified N-acetylcysteine (P = 1.08E-08) and oxygen (P = 1.92E-06) as the best descriptors for the considered gene set. Acute infections of the airways are associated with oxidative stress, which enhances viscosity of bronchial mucus, reduces the mucociliary clearance rate and expedites lung disease aggravation and progression. N-acetylcysteine is a wellknown mucolytic and antioxidant drug, an indirect precursor of glutathione. Conclusions The results of the study indicate that pneumonia aggravation up to destructive intrapulmonary complications and ARDS is mediated by polymorphisms in oxidative stress-related genes. P3 A retrospective study evaluating the efficacy of identification and management of sepsis at a Western Cape Province district level hospital internal medicine department, in comparison to the guidelines stipulated in the Surviving Sepsis Campaign 2012

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