Advancing Respiratory Health: Rapid Detection and Treatment Innovations

Clinicians are balancing rapid viral diagnostics with antibiotic stewardship as resistant bacterial threats rise, linking testing decisions to targeted therapy in real time.

Rapid detection methods, such as lateral flow tests, have accelerated responses in point-of-care and outbreak triage settings. These technologies are reshaping how clinicians implement interventions to viral threats, allowing swift identification and management.

Rapid detection methods, such as lateral flow tests, have accelerated responses in point-of-care and outbreak triage settings, though performance varies by pathogen and pretest probability, with confirmatory testing recommended in some settings. The operational integration of rapid testing into triage workflows improves timeliness and precision of care.

Emerging opportunities in multiplex testing now allow simultaneous detection of multiple pathogens, offering broader diagnostic capabilities—often most useful in severe disease, immunocompromised patients, or ICU settings.

When presentations overlap (for example, influenza, RSV, and COVID-19), multiplex panels and rapid antigen tests can clarify the diagnosis quickly, informing targeted treatment and isolation decisions.

Despite these advancements, practice gaps persist across settings due to barriers such as reimbursement variability and regulatory/CLIA-waiver constraints.

Highlighting clinical relevance, advanced treatments such as ceftazidime–avibactam have activity against KPC-producing Enterobacterales and some difficult-to-treat Pseudomonas; when guided by susceptibility testing and stewardship principles, use has been associated with improved outcomes in selected contexts.

In practice, these roles align with IDSA guidance for treating confirmed susceptible carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (particularly KPC producers) or difficult-to-treat Pseudomonas in severe infections.

Meropenem remains a standard option for severe respiratory infections caused by susceptible organisms, with rapid diagnostics supporting escalation or de-escalation between meropenem and advanced agents in alignment with stewardship and guideline-based care.

Novel treatments like cefiderocol offer an option against carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative pathogens via siderophore-mediated uptake; outcomes appear mixed for some organisms (for example, Acinetobacter), underscoring susceptibility-guided use and stewardship.

Key takeaways

• Rapid diagnostics are informing timely, targeted therapy, but interpretation should account for test performance and pretest probability.
• Multiplex respiratory panels add the most value in selected populations (for example, severe disease, immunocompromised, ICU) rather than routine use.
• Advanced agents such as ceftazidime–avibactam and cefiderocol are important options against resistant Gram-negative pathogens when susceptibility supports use.
• Stewardship practices and real-world access barriers (including reimbursement and regulatory constraints) determine clinical impact.