Potential clinical utility of polymerase chain reaction in microbiological testing for sepsis

Lehmann, Lutz Eric; Alvarez, Julian; Hunfeld, Klaus-Peter; Goglio, Antonio; Kost, Gerald J; Louie, Richard F; Raglio, Annibale; Regueiro, Benito J; Wissing, Heimo; Stüber, Frank (2009). Potential clinical utility of polymerase chain reaction in microbiological testing for sepsis. Critical care medicine, 37(12), pp. 3085-90. Baltimore, Md.: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 10.1097/CCM.0b013e3181b033d7

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OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the potential improvement of antimicrobial treatment by utilizing a new multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay that identifies sepsis-relevant microorganisms in blood. DESIGN: Prospective, observational international multicentered trial. SETTING: University hospitals in Germany (n = 2), Spain (n = 1), and the United States (n = 1), and one Italian tertiary general hospital. PATIENTS: 436 sepsis patients with 467 episodes of antimicrobial treatment. METHODS: Whole blood for PCR and blood culture (BC) analysis was sampled independently for each episode. The potential impact of reporting microorganisms by PCR on adequacy and timeliness of antimicrobial therapy was analyzed. The number of gainable days on early adequate antimicrobial treatment attributable to PCR findings was assessed. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Sepsis criteria, days on antimicrobial therapy, antimicrobial substances administered, and microorganisms identified by PCR and BC susceptibility tests. RESULTS: BC diagnosed 117 clinically relevant microorganisms; PCR identified 154. Ninety-nine episodes were BC positive (BC+); 131 episodes were PCR positive (PCR+). Overall, 127.8 days of clinically inadequate empirical antibiotic treatment in the 99 BC+ episodes were observed. Utilization of PCR-aided diagnostics calculates to a potential reduction of 106.5 clinically inadequate treatment days. The ratio of gainable early adequate treatment days to number of PCR tests done is 22.8 days/100 tests overall (confidence interval 15-31) and 36.4 days/100 tests in the intensive care and surgical ward populations (confidence interval 22-51). CONCLUSIONS: Rapid PCR identification of microorganisms may contribute to a reduction of early inadequate antibiotic treatment in sepsis.

Item Type:	Journal Article (Original Article)
Division/Institute:	04 Faculty of Medicine > Department of Intensive Care, Emergency Medicine and Anaesthesiology (DINA) > Clinic and Policlinic for Anaesthesiology and Pain Therapy
UniBE Contributor:	Lehmann, Lutz Eric, Stüber, Frank
ISSN:	0090-3493
Publisher:	Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Language:	English
Submitter:	Jeannie Wurz
Date Deposited:	04 Oct 2013 15:11
Last Modified:	05 Dec 2022 14:21
Publisher DOI:	10.1097/CCM.0b013e3181b033d7
PubMed ID:	19633541
Web of Science ID:	000272509800012
URI:	https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/31274 (FactScience: 195712)