F. Bregeon et al., Diagnostic accuracy of protected catheter sampling in ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia, EUR RESP J, 16(5), 2000, pp. 969-975
The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of protected telescoping c
atheter performed using: 1) protected distal aspiration, or 2) protected mi
ni-bronchoalveolar lavage for the diagnosis of ventilator-associated bacter
ial pneumonia.
Twenty-seven patients who died after receiving mechanical ventilation for a
t least 72 h were included in a comparative prospective post-mortem study.
The two microbiological sampling procedures were performed immediately afte
r death, Surgical pneumonectomies and biopsies were performed within 30 min
of death at the bedside for histological examination, The results of the t
wo techniques were compared with histological post-mortem lung examination
or biopsies.
Histological examination of the parenchyma showed signs of pneumonia in 14
cases. Lung tissue culture was positive in nine of these 14 cases. When ven
tilator-associated bacterial pneumonia was defined by the association of hi
stological signs and positive lung tissue culture the sensitivity was 78% f
or both sampling techniques, specificity was 86% for mini-bronchoalveolar l
avage and 100% for protected distal aspiration (at a threshold of 1 x 10(3)
cfu.mL(-1)).
Both techniques protected the distal aspiration and mini-bronchoalveolar la
vage, and provided good specificity with an acceptable sensitivity for the
diagnosis of ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia.