Search Tag: ventilator-associated pneumonia
Continuous Cuff Pressure Control in Preventing Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia
2022 20 Sep
Patients in the ICU often require invasive mechanical ventilation support. This requires tracheal intubation, where an endotracheal cuff wrapped around the tip of the tube seals the extraluminal airway for positive pressure ventilation. Inappropriate cuff pressure control can contribute to ventilator-associated complications. Studies report that approximately... Read more
Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia in Patients With COVID-19
2021 07 Dec
A major challenge in ICUs even before the COVID-19 pandemic was ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). However, now that the ICUs are even more overwhelmed with the complex and prolonged acute care of patients with COVID-19, VAP has become an even bigger issue. It has an overall incidence of 40 to 60%, but the problem is that the variation on VAP definitions... Read more
Early vs Late Tracheostomy and Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia
2021 16 Mar
Surgically opening the windpipe, or trachea, within the first seven days of the start of mechanical ventilation decreases the time patients spend on ventilators, shortens their ICU stay and lowers their risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia, according to a new systematic review. "We analysed the existing medical literature to unravel a question... Read more
Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia in COVID-19 Patients
2021 20 Jan
The coronavirus has a high incidence of patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Many patients infected with COVID-19 need to be admitted to the ICU for invasive ventilation. They are also at a high risk of developing secondary, ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). This is because of breach of natural defences by invasive devices,... Read more
Biomarker-Guided Antibiotic Stewardship in Suspected Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia
2019 15 Dec
Ventilator-associated pneumonia carries enormous morbidity and mortality, including prolonging hospital stay and increasing the cost of healthcare. In most cases, ventilator-associated pneumonia occurs without any specific signs or symptoms. Making an accurate diagnosis is often difficult. Unlike the past, the administration of empirical antibiotics... Read more
Automated system detects risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia
2018 23 May
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have developed an automated system for identifying patients at risk for complications associated with the use of mechanical ventilators. The new system uses an algorithm that has been shown to be 100 percent accurate in identifying at-risk patients when provided with necessary data, according... Read more
What's the latest on ventilator-associated pneumonia?"
2017 19 Dec
Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is the most frequent life-threatening nosocomial infection in intensive care units. Although bundles of prevention measures are effective in decreasing the VAP rate, the insufficient compliance observed in clinical practice needs to be addressed in order to define easier-to-apply procedures, according to a review... Read more
Probiotics can help prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia
2017 01 Nov
Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is still an important cause of morbidity and mortality in mechanically ventilated patients. A new analysis of 13 randomised controlled trials (RCTs), involving 1,969 patients, finds that probiotics are significantly associated with a decreased risk of VAP in mechanically ventilated patients. "It seems likely... Read more
Study: Preventing Ventilator-Associated Events
2017 28 May
Nearly 800,000 hospital patients undergo mechanical ventilation in the U.S. each year due to different illnesses such as stroke, brain injury or pneumonia. Going on a ventilator can often be the difference between life and death for some patients. While a ventilator does provide assistance in breathing, it is also associated with certain risks that... Read more
Treatment of Hospital-acquired Pneumonia: Updated Guidelines
2016 13 Dec
The American Thoracic Society and the Infectious Diseases Society of America have updated guidelines for the diagnosis and management of hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). A summary of the latest recommendations for practising clinicians is published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.... Read more