pneumonia
BacteriologyMulticenter Evaluation of the Unyvero Platform for Testing Bronchoalveolar Lavage FluidBronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) culture is a standard, though time-consuming, approach for identifying microorganisms in patients with severe lower respiratory tract infections. The sensitivity of BAL culture is relatively low, and prior antimicrobial therapy decreases the sensitivity further, leading to overuse of empirical antibiotics.
BacteriologyThe Pediatric Endotracheal Aspirate Culture Survey (PETACS): Examining Practice Variation across Pediatric Microbiology Laboratories in the United StatesIn the absence of evidence-based laboratory guidelines, the workup and interpretation of tracheal aspirate (TA) cultures remains controversial and confusing within the fields of clinical microbiology, infectious diseases, and critical care. Between 22 January and 24 February 2020, we conducted a national, web-based survey of microbiology laboratory personnel in free-standing pediatric hospitals and adult hospitals containing pediatric...
BacteriologyTime to Result for Pathogen Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of Bronchoalveolar Lavage and Endotracheal Aspirate Specimens in U.S. Acute Care HospitalsIdentification (ID) and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) of respiratory pathogens are critical to the management of patients with pneumonia to facilitate optimal antibiotic therapy selection. Few studies have examined the time to results (TTR) for this critical specimen, and such data can be valuable for benchmarking the current paradigm of diagnostic approaches. TTR for bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and endotracheal aspirate (...
Photo QuizAnswer to November 2020 Photo Quiz
Photo QuizAnswer to September 2020 Photo Quiz
BacteriologyPractical Comparison of the BioFire FilmArray Pneumonia Panel to Routine Diagnostic Methods and Potential Impact on Antimicrobial Stewardship in Adult Hospitalized Patients with Lower Respiratory Tract InfectionsLower respiratory tract infections, including hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated pneumonia, are common in hospitalized patient populations. Standard methods frequently fail to identify the infectious etiology due to the polymicrobial nature of respiratory specimens and the necessity of ordering specific tests to identify viral agents. The potential severity of these infections combined with a failure to clearly identify the...
