Pulmonary Diffusion of Antibiotics in Patients Admitted for ARDS Following SARS-CoV-2 Pneumonia

Patients on mechanical ventilation (MV) following SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia frequently develop ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). The incidence of MVAP during SARS-CoV-2 infections ranges from 50 to nearly 90%. In addition, up to 80% of recurrences of VAP (a new episode, most often attributable to the same bacteria) have been described, reflecting the failure of the initial antibiotic therapy. This incidence is much higher than that described for other etiologies of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The investigators hypothesize that during VAP, there is an alteration of the diffusion of intravenous antibiotics in the lung parenchyma in COVID-19 patients in relation to several factors characteristic of SARS-CoV-2 infection. This altered diffusion may explain the high number of recurrences of MVAP compared to non-COVID-19 patients.