TY - JOUR AU - Hashimoto, Soshi AU - Shime, Nobuaki PY - 2013 DA - 2013/10/23 TI - Evaluation of semi-quantitative scoring of Gram staining or semi-quantitative culture for the diagnosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia: a retrospective comparison with quantitative culture JO - Journal of Intensive Care SP - 2 VL - 1 IS - 1 AB - Semi-quantitative Gram stain and culture methods are still commonly used for diagnosing ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), due to its convenience. Only a few studies, however, have assessed the reliability of these methods when compared with quantitative cultures, a current standard for the diagnosis of VAP. The objective of this study was to assess the utility of semi-quantitative scores obtained using Gram stains and cultures of endotracheal aspirates when compared with quantitative cultures in the diagnosis of VAP. SN - 2052-0492 UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/2052-0492-1-2 DO - 10.1186/2052-0492-1-2 ID - Hashimoto2013 ER -