Background: Ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) is one of the serious complications of ventilatory support, occurring in ICUs. The aim of this study was to determine various risk factors associated with the acquisition of Acinetobacter infection and its antimicrobial susceptibility pattern.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed in the ICUs of Rasoul-e-Akram Hospital in Tehran, Iran during the year 2011. A total of 51 endobronchial aspirates from intubated patients who had been clinically diagnosed to have VAP were studied bacteriologically. The in vitro susceptibility was determined by disk-diffusion and broth microdilution MIC methods.
Results: Out of 51 patients with VAP, 35 (66.66%) had positive cultures for Acineto-bacter species. In vitro susceptibility test revealed that a high percentage of isolates were resistant to imipenem, piperacillin-tazobactam, third generation cephalosporines, and aminoglycosides.
Conclusion: The antimicrobial resistance of gram negative bacteria, particularly Acine-tobacter species, is increasing and preventive measures need to be taken as a matter of urgency.