Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Long Term Chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa Airway Infection in Mice
Published on: March 17, 2014
Stable patients receiving prolonged mechanical ventilation have a high alveolar burden of bacteria
Daniel Baram1, Geoffrey Hulse, Lucy B Palmer
1Division of Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine, T-17 Room 040 HSC, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-8172, USA. dbaram@notes.cc.sunysb.edu
Introduction:
In patients receiving prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV), quantitative bronchoscopic culture has not been validated for the diagnosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).
Objective:
To measure the alveolar burden of bacteria in patients receiving PMV.
Setting:
Respiratory care units of a university hospital and a long-term care facility.
Patients:
Fourteen patients requiring PMV without clinical evidence of pneumonia.
Measurements:
Quantitative culture of BAL from the right middle lobe and lingula.
Results:
In 29 of 32 lobes, there was growth of at least one organism at > 10(4) cfu/mL. Most lobes had polymicrobial growth.
Conclusions:
Stable patients receiving PMV without clinical pneumonia have a high alveolar burden of bacteria. The bacterial burden in most patients exceeds the commonly accepted threshold for diagnosing VAP. The utility of quantitative bronchoscopic culture in the diagnosis of VAP in this patient population requires further study.
Related Concept Videos
Mechanical Ventilation II: Invasive Ventilation
Negative-Pressure Ventilators
Negative-pressure ventilators create a vacuum around the chest or body to draw air into the lungs, simulating breathing. This method does not require an...
Pneumonia I: Introduction
Pneumonia I: Introduction
Risk Factors
Various factors influence the likelihood of developing pneumonia. Age plays a crucial role, with infants, children under two, and individuals over 65 at increased risk due to their...
Pneumonia IV: Management
Bacterial Pneumonia Treatment
For bacterial pneumonia, antibiotics serve as the cornerstone of therapy. Initial treatment often begins with empirical antibiotics, tailored to the anticipated causative organism and adjusted based on culture results. Key antibiotic choices include:
Mechanical Ventilation I: Indication and Settings
Microbiota of the Respiratory Tract
