Korean J Med.
2014 May;86(5):537-545.
Prevention and Management of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Internal Medicine, Research Institute of Clinical Medicine, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Korea. lhbmd@jbnu.ac.kr
Abstract
- Mechanical ventilation is currently an indispensable element within a hospital's intensive care unit (ICU). Regrettably, mechanical ventilation is also strongly associated with the risk of contracting ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), which is one of the most common causes of mortality and morbidity within the ICU, and has been for many years. The incidence of VAP has decreased in the last 10 years, from 14 to 9-10 cases per 1,000 days of mechanical ventilation. This has been an important achievement; however, hospital-acquired pneumonia and VAP still carry very high rates of morbidity and mortality, not to mention high financial costs as well. This comprehensive review explores our current understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of VAP and proposes a strategy for its treatment and prevention.