POSTOPERATIVE PULMONARY INFECTION. PECULIARITIES IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING MAJOR ABDOMINAL SURGERY
Abstract:
Nosocomial pneumonia is the second most common infectious disease in hospitalized patients.
VAP is defined as a pulmonary infection developed after at least 48 hours of mechanical ventilation in
patients with no evidence of pre-existing lung infectious injuries. VAP is diagnosed in almost a quarter
of the intensive care unit (ICU) patients. We performed an observational retrospective study in 58 adult
patients undergoing major surgical procedures who developed post-operative pulmonary infection and
in some cases surgical complications, requiring admission in the ICU. An increased percent of these
patients, 79.31%, were mechanically ventilated. Judging by the frequency of the etiologic agents
encountered, Acinetobacter baumani, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were the most common. Acinetobacter baumani was responsible for
66.66% of the cases. First choice empiric antibiotic therapy was represented by carbapenems, PIP/TAZ
and amino glycosides, taking into account the local flora spectrum of resistance. Length of stay (LOS) in
the ICU was between 4 and 37 days (mean 12.5 days), without significant differences in survivors and
no survivors. Overall mortality was 75.86% with a VAP associated mortality of 13.79%.
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