Comparison of Methicillin-Resistant

The clinical utility of methicillin-resistantThe objective of this study was to compare the predictive value of culture-based MRSA nasal screening for pneumonia and bacteremia in ICU and general ward patients.This multicenter, retrospective study was conducted over a 23-month period. Adult patients with MRSA nasal screening ≤48 hours of collecting a respiratory and/or blood culture with concurrent initiation of anti-MRSA therapy were included. The primary endpoint was to compare the negative predictive value (NPV) associated with culture-based MRSA nasal screening between ICU and general ward patients with suspected pneumonia.A total of 5106 patients representing the ICU (n = 2515) and general ward (n = 2591) were evaluated. The NPV of the MRSA nares for suspected pneumonia was not significantly different between ICU and general ward patient populations (98.3% and 97.6%, respectively;Our findings support the routine use of MRSA nasal screening using the culture-based method in ICU patients with pneumonia. Further research on the clinical performance for MRSA bacteremia in the ICU is warranted.