Intensive care medicine
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Intensive care medicine · Sep 2014
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyCandida in the respiratory tract secretions of critically ill patients and the impact of antifungal treatment: a randomized placebo controlled pilot trial (CANTREAT study).
Candida spp. are frequently recovered from endotracheal secretions in critically ill patients suspected of having ventilator-associated pneumonia. Observational studies reported an association with worse clinical outcomes but the effect of antifungal therapy in these patients remains unclear. We designed this pilot study to assess the feasibility of a larger trial and to evaluate inflammatory profiles and clinical outcomes in these patients. ⋯ This study does not provide evidence to support a larger trial examining the efficacy of empiric antifungal treatment in patients with a clinical suspicion of ventilator-associated pneumonia and Candida in the endotracheal secretions. The presence of Candida in the lung may be associated with persistent inflammation and immunosuppression.