A new data-driven algorithm can identify patients at an increased risk for hospital-acquired pneumonia and ventilator-associated pneumonia and describe characteristics of carbapenem resistance in this population, a study published in CHEST Journal found.
Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae are a family of germs that are difficult to treat because they have high levels of resistance to antibiotics, according to the CDC.
The study included 8,969 patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia and ventilator-associated pneumonia. The primary outcome of the study was hospital death related to carbapenem resistance.
Using administrative data, the researchers' algorithm identified patients with pneumonia at high risk for death, the study said. Carbapenem resistance was found in about 12 percent of participants. This resistance was linked to patients who were admitted from an extended-care facility and who had a higher comorbidity burden.
Carbapenem resistance did not affect mortality or post-infection length of stay, but it was associated with excess hospital costs, the study authors said.