Editorial
Ventilator associated pneumonia: asking the right question
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
Everything about ventilator associated pneumonia is contentious. What is the microbial pathogenesis? How can it be prevented? How should it be treated? One strongly advocated preventive strategy consists of intensive topical and systemic antimicrobial prophylaxis. An opposing but equally strongly advocated approach is the use of conventional but firmly applied infection control measures together with limitation of antibiotic use. For treatment, questions abound. One drug or two? Which drug? For how long?
There are two main reasons which underlie our failure to move toward
consensus on many of these questions. Firstly, the magnitude and nature
of the problem varies widely between intensive care units. The
incidence of pneumonia in mechanically ventilated patients ranges from
as little as 5% in some units to more than 50% in others.1-4 This may represent, in part, differences in
diagnostic approach, but most of the difference in incidence is
probably real, reflecting differences in patient
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This article has been cited by other articles:
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Chinsky, K. D.
(2002). Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia: Is There Any Gold in These Standards?. Chest
122: 1883-1885
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Pneumonia (infectious disease)
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