NORCAP

Impact of Molecular Point-of-Care Testing on Improved Diagnosis, Treatment and Management of CAP in NORWAY: a pragmatic RCT

Community acquired pneumonia (CAP) causes a considerable burden of disease, which in developed countries, is greatest in the elderly. CAP is associated with excess acute and long-term mortality. Diagnosis is difficult and complicated by comorbidity and low sensitivity of routine microbiological tests. The study recruits CAP patients at Haukeland hospital, Bergen, into a pragmatic randomised controlled trial (NCT04660084) to assess if provision of ultra-rapid, accurate molecular diagnostics with direct feedback to the clinician can facilitate pathogen-directed usage of antibiotics, shorten antibiotic exposure and admission time and is safe. The project will provide information on a) the aetiology of CAP in hospitalised patients b) patient risk profile (e.g., physical capacity and hyperglycaemia) as effect modifiers and predictors of disease outcome c) diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for CAP and d) capacity relevant to provision of high-quality rapid diagnosis, treatment and management of CAP patients.

Recent publications:

•  Impact of rapid molecular testing on diagnosis, treatment and management of community-acquired pneumonia in Norway: a pragmatic randomised controlled trial (CAPNOR). Serigstad S, Ritz C, Faurholt-Jepsen D, Markussen D, Ebbesen MH, Kommedal Ø, Bjørneklett RO, Heggelund L, Clark TW, van Werkhoven CH, Knoop ST, Ulvestad E, Grewal HMS; CAPNOR study group.Trials. 2022 Aug 1;23(1):622. doi: 10.1186/s13063-022-06467-7
• Host Transcriptional Signatures Predict Etiology in Community-Acquired Pneumonia: Potential Antibiotic Stewardship Tools. Siljan WW, Sivakumaran D, Ritz C, Jenum S, Ottenhoff TH, Ulvestad E, Holter JC, Heggelund L, Grewal HMS. Biomark Insights. 2022 Jun 6;17:11772719221099130. doi: 10.1177/11772719221099130
• Comparison of rapid molecular testing methods for detecting respiratory viruses in emergency care: a prospective study. Markussen DL, Grewal HMS, Knoop ST, Serigstad S, Kommedal Ø, Ebbesen M, Ulvestad E, Bjørneklett R; CAPNOR Study Group.Infect Dis (Lond). 2022 Apr;54(4):247-254. doi: 10.1080/23744235.2021.2003857.
• The changing spectrum of microbial aetiology of respiratory tract infections in hospitalized patients before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Serigstad S, Markussen DL, Ritz C, Ebbesen MH, Knoop ST, Kommedal Ø, Heggelund L, Ulvestad E, Bjørneklett RO, Grewal HMS; CAPNOR study group.BMC Infect Dis. 2022 Sep 30;22(1):763. doi: 10.1186/s12879-022-07732-5
• Rapid syndromic PCR testing in patients with respiratory tract infections reduces time to results and improves microbial yield. Serigstad S, Markussen D, Grewal HMS, Ebbesen M, Kommedal Ø, Heggelund L, van Werkhoven CH, Faurholt-Jepsen D, Clark TW, Ritz C, Ulvestad E, Bjørneklett R, Knoop ST; CAPNOR Study Group.Sci Rep. 2022 Jan 10;12(1):326. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-03741-7.PMID: 35013351