Bacterial profiles detected in ventilator-associated pneumonia in Japan: A systematic review

The primary objective of this study was to identify the predominant organisms associated with ventilatorassociated pneumonia (VAP) in Japan. Studies on VAP conducted in Japan were systematically reviewed, and seven studies with a total of 374 cases were included. The detection rate of each bacterium and multidrugresistant (MDR) pathogen was analyzed using the inverse variance method. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was identified as the predominant pathogen in 29.2 % of cases, followed by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (12.0 %), and Klebsiella spp. (9.5 %). An integrated analysis revealed a detection rate of 57.8 % (95 % confidence interval: 48.7%-66.8 %) for MDR pathogens. This review highlights P. aeruginosa and MRSA as the predominant VAP-associated organisms in Japan, with a significant prevalence of MDR pathogens. This analysis provides valuable insights based on the regional distribution of bacteria detected in VAP, which is critical for selecting appropriate empirical therapy.