Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Phenotypic Screening and Sensitivity of Microbiological Profile

ABSTRACT Introduction: An upper respiratory tract infection which can be either due to increased airway bacterial load or emergence of new bacterial strain is the most common cause of Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (AECOPD). Other factors responsible for exacerbation include viral infections, pollution and other unidentified pathogens. Aim: To evaluate the local pattern of bacterial and fungal isolates from patients diagnosed with AECOPD and forming an antibiogram of the hospital. Materials and Methods: A total of 200 clinically diagnosed cases of AECOPD of age ≥40 years were included in the study. Sputum sample was obtained from the patients and processed according to standard lab procedures. Statistical analysis was done by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version-20. The test applied in the current study was modified chi-square used for comparison of proportion to analyse statistical significance for antibiotic sensitivity. The p-value