title: Herpes simplex virus in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of medical intensive care unit patients: Association with lung injury and outcome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In intensive care unit (ICU) patients in whom bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was analyzed for suspected infectious pulmonary disease, we investigated the association of herpes simplex virus (HSV) in the BALF with lung injury and patient outcome.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this retrospective cohort study, we included 201 patients treated in a medical ICU of a German university hospital in whom BALF samples were analyzed for the presence of HSV using quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eighty-seven patients (43%) were HSV-negative, and 114 patients (57%) were HSV-positive. At the day of BALF sampling (day 0), there was no clinically relevant (or statistically significant) difference in the Modified Clinical Pulmonary Infection Score, Lung Injury Score, and single indicator transpulmonary thermodilution-derived extravascular lung water index and pulmonary vascular permeability index between HSV-negative patients and HSV-positive patients or HSV-positive patients with greater than 10(5) HSV copies/mL. The ICU and hospital length of stay was statistically significantly longer in HSV-positive patients compared with HSV-negative patients. Intensive care unit and hospital mortality was not statistically significantly different between the groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We did not find a clinically relevant or statistically significant association of HSV in the BALF of medical ICU patients with lung injury or with ICU and hospital mortality.
authors.affiliation: II. Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik. Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, 81675 München, Germany. Electronic address: bernd.saugel@gmx.de.
authors.forename: Bernd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Saugel
authors.affiliation: II. Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik. Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, 81675 München, Germany.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jakobus
authors.affiliation: II. Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik. Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, 81675 München, Germany.
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Huber
authors.affiliation: Institute of Virology, Technische Universität und Helmholtz Zentrum München, 81675 München, Germany.
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.affiliation: Institut für diagnostische und interventionelle Radiologie. Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, 81675 München, Germany.
authors.forename: Konstantin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Holzapfel
authors.affiliation: Institute of Virology, Technische Universität und Helmholtz Zentrum München, 81675 München, Germany.
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Protzer
authors.affiliation: II. Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik. Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, 81675 München, Germany.
authors.forename: Roland M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Schmid
authors.affiliation: II. Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik. Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, 81675 München, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Umgelter
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000821:virology*; D015633:Extravascular Lung Water; D005260:Female; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000150:complications*; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055370:Lung Injury / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000821:virology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000302:isolation & purification*
keywords: Critical care; Extravascular lung water index; Pneumonia; Pulmonary vascular permeability index; Transpulmonary thermodilution