Neutrophil percentages in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid: Implications for diagnosing bacterial pneumonia in patients with immunocompromise and neutropenia

Abstract

Background Pneumonia is the leading cause of infectious deaths and the most common infection identified in ICU patients. Assessment of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cellularity can aid in pneumonia diagnosis. Low percentages (<50%) of BALF neutrophils have a high negative predictive value for bacterial pneumonia in a general medical ICU population, but unclear operating characteristics in patients with immunocompromise and neutropenia remain unknown.