Staphylococcus aureus is a common pathogen recovered from critically ill patients with lower respiratory tract infections. More than half of S aureus isolates nationwide are methicillin-resistant (MRSA). Although health care systems routinely use MRSA nasal screening for infection control, there is limited evidence that MRSA nasal screening is associated with the occurrence of a MRSA-related lower respiratory tract infection. To address a gap in the literature, this study reports on the association between MRSA nasal colonization and lower respiratory tract infections among critically ill patients admitted to a medical intensive care unit (MICU).

The study’s authors conducted a retrospective review of the electronic medical records to identify eligible patients. A total of 165 critically ill patients who had MRSA nasal and lower respiratory cultures with 24 hours of admission to the MICU were included. Patients were excluded from this study if they had received treatment for a MRSA infection within...

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