BACKGROUND Mechanical ventilator circuits are commonly changed at 48-h intervals. This frequency may be unnecessary because ventilator-associated pneumonia often results from aspiration of pharyngeal secretions and not from the ventilator circuit. We compared the ventilator-associated pneumonia rates and costs associated with 48-h and 7-day circuit changes. METHODS Ventilator circuits were ch...

Quantitative cultures have been proposed as the most accurate way to both establish the presence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and define the etiologic pathogen. Although the clinical diagnosis of VAP has been much maligned, it may be very accurate, particularly if it is objectively defined by calculating the Clinical Pulmonary Infection Score and if the score incorporates a Gram sta...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Aspiration of secretions containing bacterial pathogens into the lower respiratory tract is the main cause of ventilator-associated pneumonia. Endotracheal tubes with subglottic secretion drainage can potentially reduce this and, therefore, the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia. New evidence on subglottic secretion drainage as a preventive measure for ventilato...

Ventilator-associated pneumonia is the most common health-care-associated infection in the intensive care unit (ICU) and computer-assisted diagnosis and surveillance is called for. The frequency of ventilator-associated pneumonia was assessed prospectively during a 6-month period in the ICUs of a teaching hospital in Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. To determine the accuracy of the Iranian Nos...

OBJECTIVES To determine risk factors associated with ventilator dependence in patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). STUDY DESIGN A retrospective study was conducted at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, from January 1, 2007 to January 31, 2008. METHODS This study evaluated 163 adult patients (aged ≥ 18 years). Eligibility was evaluated according to the criterion for VAP...