Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2026

Simplified Whole Body Plethysmography to Characterize Lung Function During Respiratory Melioidosis
Published on: February 24, 2023
Clinical characteristics and outcome of severe melioidosis requiring intensive care
Kenneth P W Chan1, Jenny G H Low, Jagadesan Raghuram
1Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Singapore General Hospital. kpwchan@pacific.net.sg
Study Objective:
To describe the clinical characteristics and outcome of patients with severe melioidosis requiring intensive care.
Design:
Retrospective chart review.
Setting:
Two ICUs from a tertiary-care teaching hospital.
Patients:
Twenty-seven adult ICU patients with microbiologically documented melioidosis.
Interventions:
None.
Measurements And Results:
The median age was 59 years with a male preponderance (26:1). Twenty patients (74%) had medical comorbidities, with diabetes mellitus being the most common (59.3%). Almost all patients (96.3%) were bacteremic. Twenty patients (74.1%) presented with pneumonia. Twenty patients (74.1%) were in septic shock, and 16 patients (59.3%) had ARDS. Twelve patients (44.4%) required hemodialysis. The patients had a median of three organ dysfunctions, and the median APACHE (acute physiology and chronic health evaluation) II score was 27. The overall mortality was 48.1%. Mortality among patients with septic shock was 60%. The median ICU length of stay for survivors and nonsurvivors was 11 days and 2 days, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that the number of organ dysfunctions is an independent predictor of mortality (odds ratio, 8.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.3 to 51.4).
Conclusions:
The outcome of severe melioidosis requiring intensive care is poor, with death being predicted by the number of organ dysfunctions.
Related Concept Videos
Bacterial Meningitis I: Introduction
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Acute Pyelonephritis II: Diagnostic Studies and Management
Cryptococcal Meningitis
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:
Atypical Pneumonia