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. 2021 Jul 9;16(7):e0254389.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0254389. eCollection 2021.

Clinical utility of the BioFire FilmArray Blood Culture Identification panel in the adjustment of empiric antimicrobial therapy in the critically ill septic patient

Roxanne Rule  1   2 , Fathima Paruk  3   4 , Piet Becker  5 , Matthew Neuhoff  3 , Julian Chausse  3 , Mohamed Said  1   2
Affiliations

Clinical utility of the BioFire FilmArray Blood Culture Identification panel in the adjustment of empiric antimicrobial therapy in the critically ill septic patient

Roxanne Rule et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Sepsis and septic shock are key contributors to mortality in critically ill patients and thus prompt recognition and management thereof is central to achieving improved patient outcomes. Early initiation of appropriate antimicrobial therapy constitutes a crucial component of the management strategy and thus early identification of the causative pathogen is essential in informing antimicrobial therapeutic choices. The BioFire FilmArray blood culture identification (BCID) panel is a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved rapid, multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay for use on positive blood cultures. This study evaluated its clinical utility in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting, in terms of amendment of empiric antimicrobial therapy in critically ill patients with sepsis. The assay proved useful in this setting as final results were made available to clinicians significantly earlier than with conventional culture methods. This, in turn, allowed for modification of empirical antimicrobial therapy to more appropriate agents in 32% of patients. Additionally, the use of the BioFire FilmArray BCID panel permitted the prompt implementation of additional infection prevention and control practices in a sizeable proportion (14%) of patients in the study who were harbouring multidrug resistant pathogens. These findings support the use of the BioFire FilmArray BCID panel as a valuable adjunct to conventional culture methods for the diagnosis and subsequent management of critically ill patients with sepsis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The BioFire FilmArray instrument was loaned to the department for the duration of the study. BioMerieux supplied 3 BioFire kit boxes for the processing of specimens included in the study. Beyond this, there was no further monetary funding for this study. BioMérieux had no role in the design of the study, specimen collection, data analysis, interpretation of findings, manuscript preparation and submission for publication. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials. RR has received financial support from bioMérieux to attend a local BioFire user meeting. FP has served on the speaker bureaux for Thermofischer Scientific. MS, PB, MN and JC have no conflicts of interest to declare in relation to rapid diagnostic tests.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Impact of the BioFire FilmArray BCID panel on the adjustment of antimicrobial therapy.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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