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OBJECTIVES: Little is known about the epidemiology of ventilator-acquired pneumonia among coronavirus disease 2019 patients such as incidence or etiological agents. Some studies suggest a higher risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia in this specific population. DESIGN: Cohort exposed/nonexposed study among the REA-REZO surveillance network. SETTING: Multicentric; ICUs in France. PATIENTS: The coronavirus disease 2019 patients at admission were matched on the age, sex, center of inclusion, presence of antimicrobial therapy at admission, patient provenance, time from ICU admission to mechanical ventilation, and Simplified Acute Physiology Score II at admission to the patients included between 2016 and 2019 within the same surveillance network (1:1). INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The overall incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia, the cumulative incidence, and hazard rate of the first and the second ventilator-associated pneumonia were estimated. In addition, the ventilator-associated pneumonia microbiological ecology and specific resistant pattern in coronavirus disease 2019 exposed and nonexposed patients were compared. Medication data were not collected. A total of 1,879 patients were included in each group. The overall incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia was higher among coronavirus disease 2019 exposed patients (25.5; 95% CI [23.7-27.45] vs 15.4; 95% CI [13.7-17.3] ventilator-associated pneumonia per 1,000 ventilation days). The cumulative incidence was higher for the first and the second ventilator-associated pneumonia among the coronavirus disease 2019 exposed patients (respective Gray test p < 0.0001 and 0.0167). The microbiological ecology and resistance were comparable between groups with a predominance of Enterobacterales and nonfermenting Gram-negative bacteria. The documented resistance pattern was similar between groups, except for a lower rate of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the coronavirus disease 2019 exposed patient (6% vs 23%; p = 0.013). CONCLUSIONS: There was a higher incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia occurring among coronavirus disease 2019 patient compared with the general ICU population, with a similar microbiological ecology and resistance pattern.

OBJECTIVE Quick identification of septic source is fundamental in patients with severe sepsis of unknown origin. The purpose of this case report was to assess the benefit and feasibility of an early PET-CT in critically ill patients with undiagnosed sepsis. DATA SOURCES Clinical observations of two patients. STUDY SELECTION Case reports. DATA EXTRACTION Data extracted from medical records, after patient's consent. Illustrations were collected from the imaging software. DATA SYNTHESIS We admitted two critically ill patients for suspected sepsis and altered mental state. As all bacteriological samples were initially sterile, diagnostic workups in both patients led us to suspect underlying malignant hemopathy. In fact, the lumbar puncture of the first patient revealed a large B-cell lymphoma, and an acquired thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura was suspected in the second patient. However, PET-CTs performed in both patients displayed infra-clinical underlying infectious foci. Within 48 hours, both patients developed a clearly identified sepsis linked to the described focus, and favorable outcome thanks to the precious information delivered by the PET-CT. CONCLUSIONS PET-CT precisely detected the deep foci of infection about 48 hours prior to the diagnosis of sepsis. The cases reports suggested the use of this image technique in ICU for patients with sepsis of unknown origin.

To determine whether peak systolic velocity of tricuspid annular motion assessed by tissue Doppler echocardiography (Sta), a right ventricular function parameter, can discriminate patients with true- and false-positive pulse pressure variation. Pulse pressure variation is used to predict fluid responsiveness in mechanically ventilated patients. However, this parameter has been reported to be falsely positive, especially in patients with right ventricular dysfunction.A prospective study.Medical and surgical intensive care unit of a university hospital.Thirty- five mechanically ventilated patients hospitalized for24 hrs with a pulse pressure variation of12%.Doppler echocardiography (including measurement of Sta and stroke volume) was performed before and after infusion of 500 mL of colloid solution. Patients were classified into two groups according to their response to fluid infusion: responders (at least 15% increase in stroke volume) and nonresponders.Twenty-three patients (66%) were responders (true-positive group) and 12 (34%) were nonresponders (false-positive group). Before volume expansion, Sta was statistically lower in the nonresponder group (0.13 [0.04] vs. 0.20 [0.05], p = .0004). The area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.87 (95% confidence interval, 0.74-1). In patients with pulse pressure variation of12%, a Sta cutoff value of 0.15 m/s discriminated between responders and nonresponders with a sensitivity of 91% (80-100) and a specificity of 83% (62-100).A Sta value of0.15 m/s seems to be an accurate parameter to detect false-positive pulse pressure variation. Echocardiography should therefore be performed before fluid infusion in patients with pulse pressure variation of12%.