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Viral infection in patients with severe pneumonia requiring intensive care unit admission

Sang-Ho Choi1, Sang-Bum Hong, Gwang-Beom Ko

  • 1Department of Infectious Diseases, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
|June 16, 2012
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Viral pneumonia is common in intensive care unit (ICU) patients, with similar mortality rates to bacterial pneumonia. This study highlights the frequent detection of viruses like rhinovirus in severe pneumonia cases.

Area of Science:

  • Critical Care Medicine
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Respiratory Medicine

Background:

  • The role of viral infections in adult pneumonia and their impact on mortality remain unclear.
  • Previous research on viral pneumonia is limited by reliance on upper respiratory tract specimens.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence and impact of viral infections in adult patients admitted to the ICU for severe pneumonia.
  • To compare the outcomes of viral pneumonia with bacterial pneumonia in an ICU setting.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of a prospective cohort in a medical intensive care unit (ICU).
  • Inclusion of patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) or healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP).
  • Utilized bronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and nasopharyngeal specimen reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for viral detection.

Main Results:

  • Viral infections were detected in 36.4% of patients, with rhinovirus being the most common.
  • Respiratory syncytial virus was more prevalent in the CAP group (10.9%) compared to HCAP (2.2%).
  • Mortality rates were comparable across bacterial infections (25.5%), viral infections (26.5%), and coinfections (33.3%).

Conclusions:

  • Viruses are frequently identified in the airways of ICU patients with pneumonia, contributing to severe disease.
  • Viral pneumonia carries a similar mortality risk to bacterial pneumonia in the ICU setting.

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