title: Clinical and microbiological characterization of pneumonia in mechanically ventilated patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To characterize mechanical ventilation-associated pneumonia (MVAP).
  
  
  METHODS
  This is an observational descriptive study to characterize MVAP in 61 ventilated patients admitted in the intensive care units of the Hermanos Ameijeiras hospital during 2011. This study also aimed to isolate the bacteria causing MVAP and characterize their resistance to antibiotics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  51 (83.60%) patients presented pulmonary infiltrates and 35 (50.81%) presented a clinical score ≥ 6 according to the Clinical Pulmonary Infection Score. Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the most frequently isolated microorganisms from patients with MVAP. Both microorganisms showed a high resistance to antibiotics. Carbapenems were the most frequent used antimicrobial therapeutic agents; elective antibiotic combinations were directed against both bacterial wall structure and nucleic acid synthesis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with MVAP identified during the studied period showed similar frequency to those reported in medical literature. Thus, this study corroborated that this is still a relevant medical problem in this hospital. Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the most frequently isolated microorganisms from patients with MVAP. Antimicrobial treatment, empirical or not, are still the main risk factors for the development of multidrug-resistant strains of bacteria. The rate of resistance to antibiotics of Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains isolated from patients with MVAP was higher than those isolated from infected patients without MAVP. Tigecycline and colistin were the only antibiotics fully effective against Acinetobacter baumannii strains isolated in 2011 from patients with MVAP; against Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains, only colistin was fully effective.
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Department, Hermanos Ameijeiras Hospital, Havana, Cuba.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Medell
authors.forename: Marcia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hart
authors.forename: Odalys
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Marrero
authors.forename: Fidel
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Espinosa
authors.forename: Zurelys
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Montes de Oca
authors.forename: Rodolfo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Valdés
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008875:Middle Aged; D053717:Pneumonia, Ventilator-Associated / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents