Bacteriological profile and antimicrobial resistance pattern of ventilator associated pneumonia in tertiary care hospital

Abstract

Introduction: With an occurrence ranging from 6-52%, ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is the most common ICU acquired infection, accounting for a significant portion of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs). VAP is pneumonia that develops after a period of more than 48 hours of mechanical ventilation or endotracheal intubation. Aim: To isolate and identify the potential pathogens causing VAP and to study their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns. Materials and Methods: Endotracheal aspiration (ETA) or bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) were collected from patients on mechanical ventilation >48 hours. Bacterial isolates were identified based on culture colony characteristics and biochemical parameters. Antibiotic susceptibility profile was determined for these isolates by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method as per Clinical and laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) 2020 guidelines and studied. The collected data was entered in Excel, and analyzed by using SPSS version 16. Results: Among the isolates, the most common were Klebsiella pneumoniae (31.31%) and Acinetobacter baumanii (31.31%). These were followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (22.22%), Klebsiella oxytoca (7.07%), Escherichia coli (3.03%) and Proteus mirabilis (3.03%) and Staphylococcus aureus (2.02%). Conclusion: Multi Drug Resistant (MDR) microbes causing VAP are on the increase. The patient population at risk will benefit by the application of the results of this study. The antibiotic resistance pattern of these isolates will aid clinicians in selecting the appropriate antimicrobial agents. Hence, it can lead to decreased mortality and morbidity due to life-threatening VAP.