• Marin H Kollef.
• Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63021, USA. mkollef@dom.wustl.edu
• Surg Infect (Larchmt). 2011 Jun 1;12(3):211-20.

BackgroundThe occurrence of nosocomial pneumonia (NP) in the hospital setting is especially problematic, as it is associated with a greater risk of in-hospital death, longer stays on mechanical ventilation and in the intensive care unit (ICU), more need for tracheostomy, and significantly higher medical care costs.MethodsReview of the pertinent English-language literature.ResultsThe adverse effect of NP on healthcare outcomes has increased pressure on clinicians and hospital systems to prevent this infection. This brief review provides an overview of the current approaches to the prevention of NP, focusing primarily on ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).ConclusionClinicians working in ICUs should consider the following recommendations: (1) Develop a VAP prevention bundle based on evidence-based guidelines; (2) monitor the rates of VAP prior to and during implementation of the program; (3) make adjustments according to VAP occurrence; and (4) integrate VAP prevention with other quality improvement programs.

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