Elizabethkingia meningoseptica: A new cause of ventilator-associated pneumonia in pediatric intensive care unit

Aim: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is diagnosed by detecting bacterial microorganisms in addition to purulent tracheal secretions, fever, respiratory distress, leukocytes in the tracheal aspirate, and radiological findings of pneumonia in patients on mechanical ventilation for more than 48 hours. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of E. meningoseptica bacteria and other agents, which are infrequently detected in tertiary pediatric intensive care units, on clinical findings, demographic characteristics, and mortality in patients with VAP. Material and Methods: In this retrospective study, patients who were intubated in a tertiary pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and diagnosed with ventilator-associated pneumonia according to CDC criteria between 2021 and 2022 were evaluated. The study included 42 patients who met all inclusion criteria. Results: The 42 participants in the study were diagnosed with VAP based on CDC criteria and positive microbiological test results. The average age of the patients was 38,5 months, and the bmales predominated. Nine patients had E. meningoseptica isolated from them. Eight of the forty-two patients included in the investigation perished, and three of them had VAP. Mechanical ventilation time (p = 0.017) and PICU hospitalization time (p = 0.017) were both prolonged in the E. meningoseptica-isolated group. Discussion: In recent years, the prevalence of E. meningoseptica infection in pediatric intensive care units has increased rapidly. This infection causes fatal opportunistic infections in patients receiving broad-spectrum antibiotics, followed by central venous catheters, duration of mechanical ventilation, and length of PICU stay.