Abstract
Nosocomial pneumonia is the leading cause of death from hospital-acquired infections. The estimated prevalence of nosocomial pneumonia within the hospital setting ranges from 10 to 65%, with case fatality rates greater than 25% in most studies. Recent investigations also suggest that nosocomial pneumonia has become the most common nosocomial infection among critically ill patients [1]. Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) specifically refers to nosocomial pneumonia developing in mechanically ventilated patients later than 48 hours after intubation (i.e., late-onset VAP with no clinical evidence suggesting the presence or likely development of pneumonia at the time of intubation). VAP occurring within 48 hours of intubation is often the result of aspiration complicating the intubation process, thus frequently caused by a community-acquired pathogen (methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus [MSSA], Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae), and is usually associated with a better prognosis compared to late-onset VAP. This difference in patient outcomes is at least partly attributed to the greater reported incidence of infection with antibiotic-resistant bacteria (methicillin-resistant Staph. aureus [MRSA], Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter species) in patients with late-onset VAP.
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Kollef, M.H. (2000). Non-Pharmacologic Prevention of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP). In: Vincent, JL. (eds) Yearbook of Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine 2000. Yearbook of Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine, vol 2000. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-13455-9_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-13455-9_11
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