Volume : 3, Issue : 12, December - 2014

Etiology of Lower Respiratory Tract Infections in Intensive Care Unit of a Tertiary Care Hospital

Dr. Viral Patel, Dr. Parth Patel, Dr. Utsav Patel, Dr. Dattu Vyas, Dr. Kunjan Shah

Abstract :

Background: Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) are the most frequent infections among patients in intensive care units. The consequences of increased drug resistance are far reaching since bacterial infection of the lower respiratory tract is a major cause of death from infectious diseases. Objective: The study was conducted with the aim of determining the bacterial etiology of LRTI in the intensive care unit (ICU) as well as to update the clinicians with the various antimicrobial alternatives available in the treatment of LRTI. Methods and Materials: The study was conducted for the period of 1 year from July 2013 to June 2014 in the Medicine Department of a Teaching Tertiary Care Hospital. The LRT specimens from 100 patients admitted in an ICU during the study period were processed. Following culture, the isolated organisms were identified and antimicrobial sensitivity was performed by standard methods. Results: Out of the 100 LRT specimens evaluated, 88 (88%) were culture positive. A total of 136 pathogens were recovered with a predominance of Gram-negative isolates (n = 129; 94.8%) Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the most dominant pathogen followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae. Markedly high percentage of extended spectrum beta-lactamase and methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates were detected. The resistance to cephalosporins, aminoglycosides and carbapenem were noticable. Conclusions: So that, we can conclude that for effective management of LRTI’s, a detailed bacteriological diagnosis and susceptible testing is required to prevent global problem of antibiotic resistance.