Abstract: The main goal of the following review is to detect the incidence, various risk factors and attributable mortality associated with VAP and secondary objective is to identify the various bacterial pathogens causing VAP in the ICU. A literature search was conducted using electronic databases such as MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, and manuscript references for studies published in English up to December, 2017 for all studies concerning management of ICU associated pneumonia. VAP occurs frequently and is associated with significant morbidity in critically ill patients. The primary obstacle in diagnosing VAP is the absence of gold standard criteria and, therefore, VAP continues to be an inconspicuous clinical syndrome. There is enough evidence to indicate that VAP is preventable and that hospitals can decrease VAP rates, a factor that the new CDC VAP definitions are poised to demonstrate more objectively. The diagnostic challenge of VAP has multiple implications for therapy. Although a CPIS score > 6 may correlate with VAP, the sensitivity, specificity and inter-rater agreement of this criterion alone are not encouraging. Microbiological data should be used for tailoring antibiotic therapy and not be restricted only to diagnosis.
Keywords: ICU associated pneumonia, VAP, incidence, patients.
Title: ICU Associated Pneumonia and Management Approaches
Author: Dr. Fatimah AlGhawi, Dr. Nada AlGhawi
International Journal of Healthcare Sciences
ISSN 2348-5728 (Online)
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