The Prevention of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia

Nosocomial pneumonia is a leading cause of death from hospital-acquired infections, with an associated crude mortality rate of approximately 30 percent.1 Ventilator-associated pneumonia refers specifically to nosocomial bacterial pneumonia that has developed in patients who are receiving mechanical ventilation. Ventilator-associated pneumonia that occurs within 48 to 72 hours after tracheal intubation is usually termed early-onset pneumonia; it often results from aspiration, which complicates the intubation process.2 Ventilator-associated pneumonia that occurs after this period is considered late-onset pneumonia. Early-onset ventilator-associated pneumonia is most often due to antibiotic-sensitive bacteria (e.g., oxacillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus, Haemophilus influenzae, and Streptococcus pneumoniae), whereas late-onset . . .