Decreased Risk of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia in Sepsis Due to Intra-Abdominal Infection

RationaleExperimental studies suggest that intra-abdominal infection (IAI) induces biological alterations that may affect the risk of lung infection.ObjectivesTo investigate the potential effect of IAI at ICU admission on the subsequent occurrence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).MethodsWe used data entered into the French prospective multicenter Outcomerea database in 1997–2011. Consecutive patients who had severe sepsis and/or septic shock at ICU admission and required mechanical ventilation for more than 3 days were included. Patients with acute pancreatitis were not included.Measurements and Main ResultsOf 2623 database patients meeting the inclusion criteria, 290 (11.1%) had IAI and 2333 (88.9%) had other infections. The IAI group had fewer patients with VAP (56 [19.3%] vs. 806 [34.5%], Pvs.10.5 days; PPPseudomonas aeruginosa, 345 [42.8%] and 24 [42.8%]; Enterobacteriaceae, 264 [32.8%] and 19 [34.0%]; and Staphylococcus aureus, 215 [26.7%] and 17 [30.4%], respectively). Crude ICU mortality was not different between the groups with and without IAI (81 [27.9%] and 747 [32.0%], P = 0.16).ConclusionsIn our observational study of mechanically ventilated ICU patients with severe sepsis and/or septic shock, VAP occurred less often and later in the group with IAIs compared to the group with infections at other sites.