Diagnostic microbiology and infectious disease
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Diagn. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. · Nov 2016
Clinical utility of a nasal swab methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus polymerase chain reaction test in intensive and intermediate care unit patients with pneumonia.
This retrospective study aimed to validate the concordance between nasal swab methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test and respiratory culture and to determine the number of potentially preventable days of anti-MRSA therapy in patients with pneumonia. Two hundred adult inpatients in the intensive and intermediate care units were included. The nasal swab MRSA PCR test was positive in 55 (27.5%) patients. ⋯ Anti-MRSA therapy was initiated in 168 (84%) patients. Patients in the study received a combined 782days of anti-MRSA therapy; 300days were considered potentially preventable. This study suggests that the nasal swab MRSA PCR test may be used to guide discontinuation of anti-MRSA antibiotics in patients with clinically confirmed pneumonia in the intensive or intermediate care units.