Quick swab test could cut unnecessary antibiotics in ICU pneumonia care
NCT ID NCT06272994
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This completed trial tested whether a rapid MRSA nasal swab test could help doctors safely stop an antibiotic called vancomycin in adults with pneumonia in the intensive care unit. 277 participants were randomly assigned to have their swab results reported to their doctor or to receive usual care. The goal was to see if the test reduced time on vancomycin without harming patients.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- MRSA nasal swab PCR test
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this approach could reduce unnecessary antibiotic use and side effects in hospitalized pneumonia patients.
- What could go wrong
- This is a single-center, pragmatic trial with 277 participants, so results may not apply broadly. The test only rules out MRSA, not other bacteria.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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277 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Apr 2024
- Finished
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Feb 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Adult (age greater than or equal to 18) patients admitted/transferred to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) from the VUMC Emergency Department or from a hospital floor within 48 hours of admission. * Suspicion for pneumonia on admission (defined as an indication for antibiotics of "respiratory infection" and/or an order for a respiratory culture i.e., sputum culture, tracheal aspirate culture, or bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) culture). * No topical nasal decolonization during hospitalization prior to collection of MRSA nasal swab PCR. * Must match both of the following in either order: * The patient has been admitted to and physically located in the MICU. * The patient has received a continuing vancomycin order, or a pharmacokinetics consult for a continuing vancomycin order, no later than 24 hours following their physical admission to the MICU. Exclusion Criteria: * Hospital stay of longer than 48 hours prior to MICU admission. * Known to be a prisoner
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, Tennessee, 37232, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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