To estimate the prevalence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and antimicrobial-resistant P. aeruginosa in ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP), and community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in mainland China. Meta-analyses of 50 studies published from 2010 to 2014 were conducted, followed by pre-defined subgroup analyses and meta-regressions. P. aeruginosa accounted for 19.4% (95% confidence interval (CI) 17.6-21.2%) of all isolates in VAP, which was similar to the proportion in HAP of 17.8% (95% CI 14.6-21.6%), but significantly greater than the proportion in CAP of 7.7% (15/195, p<0.001). Regarding VAP, the prevalence of P. aeruginosa has decreased since 2007. P. aeruginosa exhibited varying resistance to agents recommended for the initial management of VAP, with a high level of resistance to gentamicin (51.1%, 95% CI 37.7-64.4%) and a low level of resistance to amikacin (22.5%, 95% CI 14.3-33.6%). The prevalence of P. aeruginosa isolates resistant to agents recommended for the treatment of HAP ranged from 22.2% (95% CI 13.8-33.6%) for amikacin to 50.0% (95% CI 30.2-69.8%) for cefoperazone. P. aeruginosa was highly prevalent among patients with VAP and HAP in mainland China. The initial empirical treatment of these patients remains challenging because of the strikingly high prevalence of antimicrobial resistance.

Data to date is far from sufficient to describe the recent epidemiology of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in mainland China. This study aimed to estimate the overall incidence of VAP, with a special focus on its temporal trend and associated factors. Meta-analyses of 195 studies published from 2010 to 2015 were conducted, followed by subgroup analyses by methodological quality, pre-defined setting characteristics and attributes of populations. The overall cumulative VAP incidence in mainland China was 23.8% (95% confidence interval (CI) 20.6–27.2%), with the results showing high heterogeneity. The pooled incidence densities were 24.14 (95% CI 21.19–27.51) episodes and 22.83 (95% CI 19.88–26.23) patients per 1000 ventilator-days. A decline in the cumulative incidence was observed from 2006 (49.5%, 95% CI 40.0–59.0%) to 2014 (19.6%, 95% CI 10.4–31.0%); differences in the incidence rates were also documented according to Chinese provinces and diagnostic criteria (p < 0.001). Older age (≥60 years), coma, re-intubation, tracheotomy and prolonged ventilation were the factors significantly associated with the occurrence of VAP. The incidence of VAP remains high in mainland China but has decreased since 2006. The reported rates vary considerably across individual studies, probably due to variations in diagnosis and geographical region. More studies using standard definitions and cut-off points are needed to better clarify the epidemiology of VAP across the country.

BACKGROUND:Adverse events are under-appreciated negative consequences that are significant clinical problems for patients undergoing anti-MDR-TB treatment due to longer duration of treatment and more need for concurrent use of multiple second-line dr...