Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia Caused by Carbapenem-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Abstract We aimed to analyze risk factors of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR), pan-drug-resistant (PDR), and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) gram-negative bacteria (GNB) in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). This retrospective study evaluated pediatric patients diagnosed with VAP at a tertiary referral hospital. Of the 46 children in the present study, 40 (86.9%) had VAP caused by MDR-, XDR-, and PDR-GNB. Most patients (60.9%) had spent >28 days in the PICU at the time of diagnosis. Respiratory failure necessitating PICU admission was associated with XDR infection-induced VAP (p = 0.034). High rates of prior broad-spectrum antibiotic use were observed in patients with XDR GNB-induced VAP. VAP induced by MDR-, XDR-, and PDR-GNB occurred more frequently than that caused by drug-susceptible GNB in PICU patients. Long stays for more than 28 days in the PICU and past use of broad-spectrum antibiotics can lead to the development of XDR-GNB-induced VAP. The high antibiotic resistance rates detected in our study highlight the importance of strict infection control measures and antimicrobial stewardship programs in PICUs.