Table 2 Patients’ characteristics at time of peak density of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolation from endotracheal aspirates
|  | Low-PA group (n = 171) | Moderate-PA group (n = 149) | High-PA group (n = 141) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
VA-LRTI |  |  |  | < 0.01 |
 Non-VA-LRTI | 95 (55.6%) | 34 (22.8%) | 25 (17.7%) |  |
 VAT | 60 (35.1%) | 96 (64.4%) | 81 (57.5%) |  |
 VAP | 16 (9.4%) | 19 (12.8%) | 35 (24.8%) |  |
Length of MV, median (IQR), days | 5 (2‒13) | 11 (5‒20) | 10 (4‒24) | < 0.01 |
SOFA | 7 (5‒11) | 8 (5‒11) | 8 (5‒12) | 0.51 |
CPIS | 3 (2‒5) | 4 (3‒5) | 5 (3‒6) | < 0.01 |
Chest X-ray findings | Â | Â | Â | 0.02 |
 No infiltrate | 84 (49.1%) | 61 (40.9%) | 44 (31.2%) |  |
 Unilateral infiltrates | 58 (33.9%) | 65 (43.6%) | 66 (46.8%) |  |
 Bilateral infiltrates | 29 (17%) | 23 (15.4%) | 31 (22%) |  |
Laboratory findings, median (IQR) | ||||
 WBC (/µL) | 10,900 (7600‒13,300) | 9800 (6450‒13,450) | 12,110 (7950‒16,600) | < 0.01 |
 CRP (mg/dL) | 7.5 (3.3‒14.1) | 5.7 (2.5‒9.7) | 8.2 (2.9‒16) | < 0.01 |
Tracheal aspirates analysis | ||||
Neutrophil counts |  |  |  | < 0.01 |
 0 to 1 +  | 47 (27.5%) | 23 (15.4%) | 27 (19.2%) |  |
 2 + to 3 +  | 74 (43.3%) | 60 (40.3%) | 42 (29.8%) |  |
 4 +  | 50 (29.2%) | 66 (44.3%) | 72 (51.1%) |  |
Culture results | ||||
 Commensal colonizer | 96 (56.1%) | 68 (45.6%) | 55 (39%) | < 0.01 |
 Candida sp. | 46 (26.9%) | 46 (30.9%) | 42 (29.8%) | 0.72 |
 Staphylococcus aureus | 29 (17%) | 20 (13.4%) | 21 (14.9%) | 0.67 |
 Stenotrophomonas maltophilia | 32 (18.7%) | 20 (13.4%) | 13 (9.2%) | 0.054 |
 Klebsiella pneumoniae | 10 (5.6%) | 13 (8.7%) | 10 (7.1%) | 0.61 |
Clinical outcomes | ||||
VFDs at 28Â days | ||||
 Median (IQR), days | 24 (6‒27) | 21 (0‒27) | 1 (0‒24) | < 0.01 |
 Adjusted coefficient B (95% CI)a | Reference | 1.1 (− 0.2 to 2.42) | − 1.94 (− 3.28 to − 0.61) | 0.1b, < 0.01c |
ICU mortality | ||||
 No. of cases | 17 (9.9%) | 22 (14.8%) | 36 (25.3%) | < 0.01 |
 Adjusted OR (95% CI)a | Reference | 1.27 (0.46‒3.54) | 2.78 (1.02‒7.58) | 0.64b, 0.047c |