LUNG ULTRASOUND COMBINED WITH PROCALCITONIN AS AN EARLY PREDICTOR OF VENTILATOR ASSOCIATED PNEUMONIA AND EFFECT ON ICU STAY

Document Type : Preliminary preprint short reports of original research

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Department of Critical Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University

Abstract

INTRODUCTION:
Ventilator-associated pneumonia or VAP is referred to as pneumonia developing within 48–72 h of the initiation of mechanical ventilation which is featured by the presence of a new or progressive infiltrate, systemic infection symptoms (e.g., fever, altered count of white blood cell), alterations in sputum characteristics, and causative agent identification.
Worldwide, VAP poses grave implications in the adult endotracheally intubated patients within the intensive care unit (ICU). It usually leads to increased adverse outcomes and healthcare expenses. It is the most prevalent nosocomial infection in ICUs and the most prevalent among patients on mechanical ventilation.
Quantitative respiratory culture, often performed using bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid culture over 104 CFU, is a gold standard.
PCT levels have become an important component in VAP diagnosis. People with VAP have higher PCT levels, especially when the illness is bacterial, according to research. Elevated PCT levels are critical for diagnosis since they allow for the early detection of VAP, resulting in rapid and successful treatment.
Ultrasound imaging has a 90% accuracy rate in diagnosing pneumonia, with excellent specificity in consolidation and dynamic air bronchograms. Studies using chest CT as the gold standard have found ultrasonography superior.

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