Bacteria from the oral cavity of patients hospitalized in ICUs and the association with high mechanical ventilation pneumonia (VAP)

Abstract

Nosocomial pneumonia is the second most common type of nosocomial infection in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients and is usually associated with mechanical ventilation (PAVM). The etiological agents of these infections demonstrate multiresistance to antimicrobials making treatment difficult and increasing morbidity and mortality. Thus, it is extremely important to know these etiological agents, their origin and their antimicrobial susceptibility profile, in order to assist in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of VAP. The objective of the present study is to study the bacteria of the oral cavity of patients of the ICU of a teaching hospital and to correlate the presence and etiology of the VAP. For this purpose, samples of the oral mucosa of patients not submitted to mechanical ventilation (group A), patients undergoing mechanical ventilation for at least 24 hours and without a diagnosis of pneumonia (group B), and patients on mechanical ventilation with a diagnosis of pneumonia ( group C) will be collected. Samples will be seeded in culture media suitable to provide isolation of Staphylococcus and Gram negative bacteria, which will be subsequently identified according to their morphophysiological patterns. Antimicrobial susceptibility profile will also be performed using the agar diffusion method. The results will be analyzed and correlated with the presence of VAP and with the clinical conditions of the patient.