Comparison of a Point-of-Care FilmArray Test to Standard-of-Care Microbiology Test in Diagnosis of Healthcare Associated Infections in a Tertiary Care Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

Background: Rapid and accurate identification of healthcare associated pathogens is crucial for early diagnosis and treatment of infections. This study aimed to assess the performance of a point-of-care multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in diagnosis of pathogens and their antibiotic resistance genes in bloodstream infections, pneumonia and meningitis/encephalitis in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).

Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on pediatric patients diagnosed with healthcare associated infections at Alexandria University PICU, Egypt.