Intra-Abdominal Hypertension Contributes to the Development of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia from Intestinal Bacteria

INTRODUCTION: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is an ICU (intensive care unit)-acquired pulmonary parenchymal infection that is complicated by mechanical ventilation and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Klebsiella pneumoniae (KPN) is known to asymptomatically colonize the gastrointestinal tract and may increase the incidence of corresponding VAP. Our study aims were to investigate the exact origin of the carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) causing VAP in our patient. METHODS: Various environmental samples, including the patient’s anal swab, were collected in order to find the source of the bacteria. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for antimicrobial agents were determined according to the guidelines of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI); resistant genes were detected by using PCR and sequencing; clone relationships were analyzed by using multilocus-sequence typing (MLST) and pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The IAP values were obtained via urinary catheter. RESULTS: One CRKP strain was detected in the patient’s anal swab; this strain was confirmed with the same gene type as the strain isolated from the sputum. We found that the patient’s intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) was 29.41, 27.06, 24.12, and 22.66 mmHg; the IAP was either equal to or above 12 mmHg, on the operation day and the following three days. Intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) occurred during the patient’s hospitalization and was considered to be caused by the surgical procedure. Meanwhile, we found that there was a correlation between IAH and the detection of CRKP in the sputum. The findings suggested that his VAP was caused by intestinal colonial KPN, and not from the environment. DISCUSSION: Our research illustrated that the ST11 KPC-2-producing strain colonized the intestinal tract and caused the development of VAP when the IAP was elevated. Routine screening for the intestinal carriage of CRKP, among patients in ICUs, can limit and prevent current and future outbreaks.