RESPNOR

RESPNOR

Serious LRTIs include community acquired pneumonia (CAP), hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). HAP is the leading cause of death from nosocomial infections in critically ill patients. Diagnosis is difficult and complicated by comorbidity and low sensitivity of routine microbiological tests. In the absence of rapid and accurate microbiological diagnosis, patients with serious lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) are often given broad-spectrum antibiotics that have to be active on putative multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria, as failure to initiate prompt adequate therapy is associated with increased mortality. Overuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics promotes the selection and dissemination of MDR bacteria. The project aims to assess the utility of comprehensive rapid molecular culture-independent diagnostic approaches; identify and evaluate novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers; and support and strengthen diagnostic and antibiotic stewardship measures.

The RESPNOR project also includes a work-package (HVAPNOR), a prospective cohort study (NCT04381247) that during a two-year period recruits adult VAP and HAP patients admitted at HUS and Vestre Viken Hospital Trust, respectively. The project will contribute to strengthening the routines for adequate airway sampling and assess if provision of ultra-rapid, accurate molecular diagnostics can contribute to providing a comprehensive and timely microbiological etiological diagnose.