Clinical outcomes in ventilator-associated pneumonia patients with and without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death worldwide. Critically ill patients with COPD exacerbations may require invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) commonly occurs in the intensive care unit (ICU) and is usually associated with high mortality. Current studies on the association between COPD and VAP are limited. This work compared the causes and clinical outcomes of VAP in patients with and without COPD in Taiwan.

This retrospective observational study was conducted at the Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. Patients diagnosed with VAP were enrolled between January 2015 and December 2019. The COPD diagnosis was based on postbronchodilator pulmonary function tests. We compared the bacterial cause, ICU and hospital stay length, IMV duration and mortality rates in patients with and without COPD.

A total of 175 patients with VAP were enrolled, 44% of whom presented had preexisting COPD. The disease severity on the day of admission was similar in both groups. Microorganisms were identified in 83 (47%) patients, with Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Acinetobacter spp., and Klebsiella pneumoniae being the most common pathogens. The proportion of multidrug resistant isolates showed no significant differences between groups. Most patients underwent antibiotic treatment before VAP onset. The length of ICU and hospital stays and IMV duration after VAP onset were similar between the two groups, as well as ICU mortality, in-hospital mortality, and 14-day mortality.

Our study revealed that COPD was not associated with worse clinical outcomes in patients with VAP. No significant differences in bacterial cause were observed between the two groups.