Tuberc Respir Dis.  2021 Oct;84(4):317-325. 10.4046/trd.2021.0018.

Characteristics, Management, and Clinical Outcomes of Patients with Hospital-Acquired and Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia: A Multicenter Cohort Study in Korea

• Ko RE
• Min KH
• Hong SB
• Baek AR
• Lee HK
• Cho WH
• Kim C
• Chang Y
• Lee SS
• Oh JY
• Lee HB
• Bae S
• Moon JY
• Yoo KH
• Jeon K
• on behalf of the Korean HAP/VAP Study Group

• KMID: 2520301
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4046/trd.2021.0018

Abstract

Background
Hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) are significant public health issues in the world, but the epidemiological data pertaining to HAP/VAP is limited in Korea. The objective of this study was to investigate the characteristics, management, and clinical outcomes of HAP/VAP in Korea.
Methods
This study is a multicenter retrospective cohort study. In total, 206,372 adult patients, who were hospitalized at one of the 13 participating tertiary hospitals in Korea, were screened for eligibility during the six-month study period. Among them, we included patients who were diagnosed with HAP/VAP based on the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA)/American Thoracic Society (ATS) definition for HAP/VAP.
Results
Using the IDSA/ATS diagnostic criteria, 526 patients were identified as HAP/VAP patients. Among them, 27.9% were diagnosed at the intensive care unit (ICU). The cohort of patients had a median age of 71.0 (range from 62.0 to 79.0) years. Most of the patients had a high risk of aspiration (63.3%). The pathogen involved was identified in 211 patients (40.1%). Furthermore, multidrug resistant (MDR) pathogens were isolated in 138 patients; the most common MDR pathogen was Acinetobacter baumannii. During hospitalization, 107 patients with HAP (28.2%) had to be admitted to the ICU for additional care. The hospital mortality rate was 28.1% in the cohort of this study. Among the 378 patients who survived, 54.2% were discharged and sent back home, while 45.8% were transferred to other hospitals or facilities.
Conclusion
This study found that the prevalence of HAP/VAP in adult hospitalized patients in Korea was 2.54/1,000 patients. In tertiary hospitals in Korea, patients with HAP/VAP were elderly and had a risk of aspiration, so they were often referred to step-down centers.

Keyword

Healthcare-Associated Pneumonia; Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia; Epidemiology; Mortality; Korea