Pneumonia are the most frequent infectious complication in patients on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Veno-arterial (ECMO-VA), with a treatment failure rate of around 40%, even though antibiotic therapy is tailored to the germs identified. One hypothesis to explain this particularly high failure rate is the reduced pulmonary blood flow associated with ECMO offloading of the heart. Although there are no data to date on the pulmonary penetration of antibiotics in patients undergoing VA-ECMO, this phenomenon of pulmonary hypoperfusion could contribute to altering the alveolocapillary diffusion of antibiotics, thereby reducing their concentration in the pulmonary parenchyma.
Our hypothesis is that amikacin nebulization could increase bacterial clearance and, ultimately, limit treatment failure or recurrence of gram-negative bacilli (GNB) pneumonia in patients undergoing VA-ECMO.
Patient 18 years or older
Circulatory assistance by veno-arterial ECMO for at least 24 hours prior to documentation of pneumonia
Invasive mechanical ventilation
Diagnostic suspicion of pneumonia based on evocative criteria (presence of at least 2 of the following criteria): fever (superior to 38. 5°C), hypothermia (inferior to 36.0°C), hyperleukocytosis (superior to 11 × 10^9 l-1) or leukopenia (inferior to 4 × 10^9 l-1), purulent tracheobronchial secretions, altered oxygenation with need to increase FiO2 on ECMO or ventilator for the same SaO2 or PaO2 target, new or persistent pulmonary infiltrate(s) on chest x-ray in bed, or image suggestive of pneumonia on chest CT, or consolidation of appearance suggestive of an infectious origin on pulmonary ultrasound.
Known allergy to amikacin or another aminoglycoside or to an auxiliary drug or to any of their excipients.
Contraindication to the administration of amikacin or its excipients listed in the summary of product characteristics.
Contraindication to the administration of an auxiliary drug or to one of its excipients listed in the summary of product characteristics.
Contraindications to nebulization