Volume 7, Number 2—April 2001
THEME ISSUE
4th Decennial International Conference on Nosocomial and Healthcare-Associated Infections

Prevention is Primary

Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia or Not? Contemporary Diagnosis

C. Glen Mayhall 

Author affiliation: University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA

Main Article

Table

Quantitative cultures and microscopic examination of lower respiratory tract secretions in the diagnosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia^a

Diagnostic techniques	Sensitivity	Specificity	Positive predictive value	Negative predictive value
PSBb cultures (>103 CFU/mL)	82%	89%	90%	89%
BAL cultures (>104 CFU/mL)	91%	78%	83%	87%
Microscopic examination of BAL fluid (>5% intracellular organisms)	91%	89%	91%	89%

^aFrom ref 10. ^bPSB = protected specimen brush; BAL = bronchoalveolar lavage.

Main Article

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