Diagnostic Yield of a Direct Quantitative Smear of Lower Respiratory Tract Secretions in Patients with Suspected Pneumonia Compared to a Semi-quantitative Culture

Microorganism isolation from respiratory tract specimens is the standard of care in patients with suspected nosocomial and ventilator associated pneumonia. However, these methods are time-consuming and are influenced by several factors. A direct quantitative smear (DQS) with proper staining may be an easy, cost-effective, rapid method. We evaluated the diagnostic yield of direct smears compared to semi-quantitative culture methods