Death by acid rain: VAP or EXIT?
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* Corresponding author: Kentigern Thorburn kent.thorburn@alderhey.nhs.uk
1 Department of Paediatric Intensive Care, Royal Liverpool Children's Hospital - Alder Hey, Liverpool, L12 2AP, UK
2 School of Host Defence and Infection, The University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7ZX, UK
Critical Care 2009, 13:1008 doi:10.1186/cc8169
Published: 2 November 2009Abstract
Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a new (nosocomial) lower respiratory tract infection diagnosed in mechanically ventilated patients 48 or more hours after intubation. There is no gold standard for establishing the diagnosis and its pathogenesis is iatrogenic and multifactorial. Gastro-oesophageal reflux is common in mechanically ventilated children, but its role in VAP remains speculative. VAP is associated with increased mortality and morbidity, prolonged duration of ventilation and hospital stay, and escalated costs of hospitalisation. VAP 'bundles' are championed as the antidote.